"The curious thing, however, was that within a few decades, and in
defiance of each and every scientific imprecation, Darwin’s Origin achieved the acceptance initially denied it by the scientific community. Such a puzzling reversal of fortunes clearly cries out for explanation since, on the face of it, it seems as counterintuitive as if, say, a Broadway production panned by the critics were later to receive a “Greatest Show on Earth” award."
Neil Thomas; author of Taking Leave of Darwin