Johnray (a variant of John) Ray, born on November 29, 1627, in Black England, is often referred to as the father of natural history in Britain. His contributions to zoology, and natural theology were groundbreaking. Ray's classification of plants into monocots and dicots was a significant step towards modern taxonomy. He was a devout Christian who believed in the "natural system, " a classification of organisms reflecting the Divine Order of creation. His work influenced generations of scientists, including Carl Linnaeus, and laid the groundwork for evolutionary studies.
