Gregor Mendel
1822-1884
He discovered the basic rules of heredity by studying how traits are passed from parents to children.
Early Life
Gregor Mendel was born in 1822 in a small village that is now part of the Czech Republic. His family were farmers, and as a boy, Gregor loved working in the garden and watching plants grow.
He was curious and enjoyed learning, especially math and science. Because his family did not have much money, becoming a monk helped him continue his education.
Life as a Monk and Teacher
Gregor joined a monastery in the city of Brno, where he became a monk. The monastery was a quiet place with a big garden, a library, and time to study.
He also worked as a teacher and loved helping students learn. Teaching made him think carefully about how things change and grow over time.
Amazing Experiments with Pea Plants
In the monastery garden, Gregor grew thousands of pea plants. He chose peas because they were easy to grow and had clear traits, like tall or short plants and green or yellow seeds.
Gregor carefully crossed different plants and kept detailed notes. He counted the results and used math to look for patterns.
Big Discoveries
From his experiments, Gregor discovered that traits are passed down in special ways. He learned that parents pass on “units” of information to their children. Today, we call these units genes.
He shared his findings with other scientists, but at the time, most people did not understand how important his work was.
Legacy and Why He Matters Today
Gregor Mendel passed away in 1884, and his work was mostly forgotten for many years. Later, scientists realized how important his discoveries were.
Today, Gregor Mendel is known as the “Father of Genetics.” His ideas help doctors, farmers, and scientists understand plants, animals, and people better.
His story teaches us that patience, curiosity, and careful work can change the world—even if it takes time for others to notice.
🎉 Fun Facts
Gregor Mendel grew and studied over 28,000 pea plants!
He loved gardening and spent many hours working outdoors.
His discoveries became famous only after he had passed away.
Pea plants helped scientists learn how traits like eye color can be inherited.
Mendel used math to understand biology, which was unusual at the time.