14. Darwin Married His First Cousin and Blamed His Children’s Illnesses on His Marriage
After Darwin received a broken heart from the woman he always felt he loved, he decided to marry his first cousin, Emma. The couple courted for a while and after Darwin made the pros and cons list about marriage, chose to marry Emma. From the start, Darwin discussed the dangers of marrying his cousin.
Throughout their marriage, the couple had ten children. Three of these children died from various illnesses. The rest of the children suffered health problems throughout their lives. For the rest of his life, Darwin blamed these health problems on the fact he married his cousin.
