In case you haven’t heard, this week marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of evolutionary biologist Charles Darwin, the scourge of intelligent design and the grower of one of the best 19th-century scientist beards ever.

To celebrate, Feb. 12 has been declared Darwin Day, and as such, there will be numerous events happening around the world. Here in Connecticut, there are a few events on the 12th and beyond –

• At Fairfield University on Feb. 12, there is a film festival and a roundtable discussion (with cake!).
• The Yale Center for British Art welcomes the exhibition Endless Forms: Charles Darwin, Natural Science and the Visual Arts from Feb. 12 to May 3, which is accompanied by special lectures and tours throughout the run.
• In Norwalk, the first Darwin Day dinner will be held on Feb. 13, featuring a talk by Dr. Laurie Santos, assistant professor of psychology at Yale University.
• On Feb. 14-22, Dinosaur State Park in Rocky Hill plans on myriad activities and events Darwin-related.

Not surprisingly, here at Damned Connecticut we’re fans of the Darwin Awards, which honor those who help natural selection by stupidly removing themselves from the gene pool. Last year’s “big winner” was the priest from Brazil who attached a bunch of balloons to a lawn chair in an effort to ascend gloriously into the heavens. As evolution would have it, he succeeded, although not in the manner he planned.

No winner or nominee from Connecticut last year, but hey, there’s still plenty of calendar left for 2009. Come on, people!