Final answer:
Mendel's work was distinguished by his use of pea plants to demonstrate discontinuous variation in traits, challenging the blending theory of inheritance and setting the stage for genetics. His findings were unrecognized until 1900, after which he was celebrated as the 'Father of Genetics.'
Step-by-step explanation:
What differentiated Mendel's work the most was his experimental approach to studying heredity using pea plants, focusing on traits that showed discontinuous variation. Unlike the prevailing belief at the time, Mendel showed through his experiments that these traits were not blended in the offspring, preserving their distinctness and proving they could be passed on independently. His research laid the groundwork for genetics, which was pivotal but went unrecognized until many years after his initial discoveries.
In 1865, Mendel presented the results of his experiments with nearly 30,000 pea plants to the natural history society, and in 1866, he published his work "Experiments in Plant Hybridization." Despite the significance of his findings, it wasn't until 1900 that Mendel's work was rediscovered and he was posthumously recognized as the "Father of Genetics".