Jean-Baptiste Lamarck was a French naturalist, biologist, and soldier. He is best remembered for proposing ‘Lamarckism’, an idea that states that acquired characters are inheritable. He was born in an impoverished aristocratic family with a centuries-old custom of military service. As a soldier, Lamarck fought in the Pomeranian War between 1757 and 1762 and received a commission for bravery on the battlefield. He became interested in natural history during his war career and collected plants to study them. He retired from the army due to an injury in 1766 and resumed his medical studies. His book ‘Flore françoise,’ published in 1778, brought him great acclaim. Lamarck’s career changed dramatically in 1793 when he was appointed professor of invertebrate zoology at the prestigious Muséum national d'histoire naturelle. In 1779, Lamarck gained membership to the French Academy of Sciences. He later became involved in the botanical garden, Jardin des Plantes, and was subsequently appointed to the chair of botany in 1788. The pioneering biologist gradually turned blind before dying in 1829 at the age of 85.