In 1815 the English canal surveyor William Smith published A Delineation of the Strata of England and Wales, a hand-coloured map about 2.6 by 1.8 metres, the first national geological map. During his work on canals and mines, he noticed that rock layers occur in a fixed order and that each can be recognised by the fossils it contains, a principle that allows strata to be matched across great distances. Ignored by the Geological Society, he fell into debt and was jailed in 1819. He was honoured in 1831 with the Society's first Wollaston Medal as the 'Father of English Geology'.
Before and after
- from 12 October 1814 to 20 September 1866Kingdom of Hanover
- c. 1810sPublication of Stille Nacht Heilige Nacht
- 1815Congress of Vienna
- from 1815 to 1871Unification of Italy
- 1815William Smith publishes the first geological map of England and Wales
- 8 January 1815Battle of New Orleans
- 6 March 1815Discovery of 13P/Olbers
- 16 March 1815Founding of Kingdom of the Netherlands
- from 20 March 1815 to 8 July 1815Hundred Days
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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 19th century.