Alfred Wallace was born in 1823 in the village of Usk in Monmouthshire, England.  His options were limited as his father died when Alfred was still a young man.  So, taking advantage of a natural talent, he became a drawing teacher.

He went on an expedition to South America with his friend Henry Bates.  He spent four years in the jungles of Brazil.  On his way home, the ship caught fire and sank -- with four years of notes and specimen collections.  The crew and passengers were fortunately rescued by a passing vessel.  These adventures were the basis of Travels on the Amazon and Rio Negro, published in 1853.

Soon afterwards, he left on a second voyage, this time to Malaysia.  This one would last eight years!  It was during this expedition that he, sick with fever, had the idea for natural selection, and in two days, wrote an essay on the topic and sent it off to Darwin.  After his return from Malaysia, he published The Malay Archipelago, a detailed journal on the plants, animals, and people of the islands.

He died November 7, 1913.  Although offered a place at Westminster Abbey, his family preferred that he be buried near his home.  His grave is appropriately marked by a fossilized tree trunk.