In 1785 the Scottish farmer-geologist James Hutton read a paper to the Royal Society of Edinburgh and published his Theory of the Earth in 1788, arguing that the planet's rocks are formed by slow processes still in operation today: erosion, deposition, burial, heat and uplift. At Siccar Point on the Scottish coast in 1788 he, with John Playfair and James Hall, saw tilted layers of older rock capped by flat younger ones, showing endless cycles. He saw 'no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end'. The idea of deep time prepared the ground for Lyell and Darwin.
Before and after
- 17 September 1787United States Constitution
- 25 September 1787Constitutional Convention
- 1788Auld Lang Syne
- from 1788 to 1789Sino-Nepalese War
- 1788James Hutton presents his Theory of the Earth
- 22 January 1788Birth of Lord Byron
- 26 January 1788Founding of Sydney
- from February 1788 to August 1791Austro-Turkish War of 1788–1791
- 22 February 1788Birth of Arthur Schopenhauer
More in Science & technology
- 1791Discovery of titanium
- 1797Discovery of chromium
- 1811Discovery of iodine
- 6 March 1869Periodic table
- 1884Car
- 1894Discovery of argon
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 18th century.