ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

1860 Oxford evolution debate

Once upon a time in the year 1860, there was a big argument among some really smart people about how life on Earth came to be. Some people believed in something called creationism, which means they thought that a big and powerful being called God made everything. Other people thought something called evolution, which means they believed that animals and plants changed over a very, very long time into new species.

The argument took place in a place called Oxford, which was a famous university where people learned all sorts of things. The people who believed in evolution had a famous scientist named Charles Darwin, who had written a book about it. The people who believed in creationism were also smart and respected, and they also had lots of arguments to support their beliefs.

In the end, the debate didn't really have a winner. Both sides said some things that made sense, and both sides had some things that were a bit confusing. But the debate was important because it got people talking about how life on Earth came to be, and it made them think about different ideas and opinions.