On Tuesday, the 204th anniversary of British naturalist Charles Darwin's birth, Rep. Rush Holt (D-N.J.) will take to the House floor to formally introduce his resolution calling for February 12, 2013 to be officially designated Darwin Day.

In his bill, Holt -- a "Jeopardy!" champion with a doctoral degree in physics -- offers a strong defense of evolution, as well as Darwin's influence on scientific understanding and the "betterment of humanity."

Holt also takes aim at opponents, arguing that "the advancement of science must be protected from those unconcerned with the adverse impacts of global warming and climate change." He goes on to warn that the "teaching of creationism in some public schools compromises the scientific and academic integrity of the United States education systems."

The measure has already been referred to the House Science, Space and Technology committee and has the support of seven co-sponsors. Rep. Michael Capuano (D-Mass.), Rep. Mike Honda (D-Calif.), Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Del. Eleanor Norton (D-D.C.), Rep. Jared Polis (D-Colo.), Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) and Rep. Louise Slaughter (N.Y.) have all joined with Holt on the effort.

American Humanist Association executive director and HuffPost blogger Roy Speckhardt hailed Holt's push as a necessary acknowledgment of Darwin's legacy.

“The passage of Rep. Rush Holt’s proposed resolution in Congress would send a strong message to the world that the United States supports science education,” said Speckhardt in a statement. “Charles Darwin’s significant contributions to the advancement of science and our understanding of the world deserve recognition.”

Holt's public push comes as people around the world celebrate Darwin Day in their own ways. While some do it by paying homage to the father of evolutionary theory among likeminded individuals, others carry out a more public campaign to have Darwin recognized.

In Asheville, N.C., the city council is set to consider a resolution that would officially proclaim Tuesday as International Darwin Day.

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  • "The internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a truck. It's a series of tubes." -Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), 2006 The "series of tubes" phrase subsequently became a pop cultural catchphrase--it even has its own <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Series_of_tubes" target="_hplink">Wikipedia page</a> and mentioned in the <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=a series of tubes" target="_hplink">Urban Dictionary</a>.

  • "And sometimes these dollars go to projects that have little or nothing to do with the public good, things like fruit fly research in Paris, France. I kid you not." - former Gov. Sarah Palin (R-Alaska), 2008 The common fruit fly is one of the most commonly used organisms in genetic research. Discoveries such as sex-linked inheritance and techniques such as gene mapping are a result of such research.

  • "Information is moving--you know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets." - President George W. Bush, 2007 The former president went on to use the word "Internets" two more times in public.

  • "Is there some thought being given to subsidizing the clearing of rainforests in order for some countries to eliminate that production of greenhouse gases?" -Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-California), when asked whether the U.S. climate policy should focus on reducing carbon emissions. Rainforests actually absorb far more carbon dioxide than they emit.

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  • "What the science says is that temperatures peaked out globally in 1998. So we've gone for 10-plus years where the temperatures have gone down." - Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner (R-Wisconsin), 2009 in an interview with conservative radio show host Jay Weber. The mean global temperature has in fact been increasing since 1998.

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  • "If it's legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down." - Rep. Todd Akin (R-Missouri), 2012 In fact, women can become pregnant from rape.

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