1859
1859 is the year Darwin published On the Origin of Species.
- Odd
- Composite
Where 1859 fits
Why 1859 is special
The first print run sold out on the day of publication. Darwin had held the theory for twenty years and published when he did because Alfred Russel Wallace had independently reached the same conclusion and sent him the manuscript.
Same number, different meanings
How 1859 is understood across different contexts — never implying one meaning because of another.
- Mathematics
The first print run sold out on the day of publication. Darwin had held the theory for twenty years and published when he did because Alfred Russel Wallace had independently reached the same conclusion and sent him the manuscript.
- History
In 1859, Darwin published On the Origin of Species (England).
- Science
Darwin had held the theory for twenty years and published in 1859 only after Alfred Russel Wallace independently reached the same conclusion and sent him the manuscript. The first print run sold out on the day of publication.
1859 is part of
Factors & digit properties
- Divisors (6)
- 1, 11, 13, 143, 169, 1859
- Prime factorisation
- 11 × 13^2
- Digit sum
- 23
- Digital root
- 5
Representations
- Decimal
- 1859
- Scientific notation
- 1.859 × 10^3
Roman numerals
M D C C C L I X
MDCCCLIX uses the subtractive pair IX: one before ten — ten minus one.
Binary
1 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1
1 × 1,024 + 1 × 512 + 1 × 256 + 0 × 128 + 1 × 64 + 0 × 32 + 0 × 16 + 0 × 8 + 0 × 4 + 1 × 2 + 1 × 1 = 1,859
Octal
3 5 0 3
3 × 512 + 5 × 64 + 0 × 8 + 3 × 1 = 1,859
Hexadecimal
7 4 3
7 × 256 + 4 × 16 + 3 × 1 = 1,859
Read as powers of two: 1,024 + 512 + 256 + 64 + 2 + 1 = 1,859.
In historical numeral systems
Egyptian
1 lotus, 8 coils of rope, 5 hobbles, 9 strokes
1 × 1,000 + 8 × 100 + 5 × 10 + 9 × 1 = 1,859. The signs are simply repeated and added; where they sit on the line is a matter of layout, not value.
Babylonian
3 corner wedges (sixties place), 5 corner wedges + 9 vertical wedges (units place)
30 × 60 + 59 = 1859. Places are separated by a space on the tablet, with the higher place written first.
Systems that simply cannot reach this value are left out. Where a script needs a font most readers do not have, the reading is given instead of the glyphs — see number systems for each system in full.
Other mathematical patterns
- Deficient number
Related numbers & connections
Darwin described inheritance working without knowing its mechanism; the double helix supplied the mechanism ninety-four years later.
View 1953 →Darwin described inheritance without a mechanism and Meitner and Frisch explained a result their collaborators could not. Both are cases where the interpretation mattered more than the observation.
View 1938 →Numbers Around Us
History
In 1859, Darwin published On the Origin of Species (England).
DocumentedHistoryGeography: EnglandPeriod: 1859
Science
Darwin had held the theory for twenty years and published in 1859 only after Alfred Russel Wallace independently reached the same conclusion and sent him the manuscript. The first print run sold out on the day of publication.
DocumentedSciencePeriod: 1859
Common questions
Is 1859 a prime number?
No, 1859 is not prime.
What are the factors of 1859?
The factors of 1859 are 1, 11, 13, 143, 169, 1859.
What is 1859 in Roman numerals?
1859 in Roman numerals is MDCCCLIX. IX is subtractive: one before ten — ten minus one. Written additively it would be MDCCCLVIIII, which Roman inscriptions used freely — the strict subtractive form is a later convention.
About this page's data
Mathematical facts:computed directly from the number's value — nothing to source or verify externally.
Contextual records: 2 reviewer-confirmed records, sourced and reviewed before publication.
Last reviewed: 15 July 2026