GEOLOGIST

William Smith

1769 - 1839

Photo of William Smith

Icon of person William Smith

William 'Strata' Smith (23 March 1769 – 28 August 1839) was an English geologist, credited with creating the first detailed, nationwide geological map of any country. At the time his map was first published he was overlooked by the scientific community; his relatively humble education and family connections prevented him from mixing easily in learned society. Financially ruined, Smith spent time in debtors' prison. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of William Smith has received more than 149,444 page views. His biography is available in 34 different languages on Wikipedia. William Smith is the 14th most popular geologist (down from 13th in 2019), the 929th most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 827th in 2019) and the 4th most popular British Geologist.

William Smith is most famous for his work in the field of geology. He is credited with developing the law of uniformitarianism which states that the rate of natural processes has remained constant over time.

Memorability Metrics

  • 150k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 69.06

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 34

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 6.80

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.96

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of William Smiths by language


Among GEOLOGISTS

Among geologists, William Smith ranks 14 out of 60. Before him are Andrija Mohorovičić, Inge Lehmann, Francis Beaufort, Eduard Suess, Abraham Gottlob Werner, and Beno Gutenberg. After him are Vasily Dokuchaev, Christian Leopold von Buch, Giuseppe Mercalli, Ignacy Domeyko, Gideon Mantell, and Déodat Gratet de Dolomieu.

Most Popular Geologists in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1769, William Smith ranks 12. Before him are Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, Ivan Krylov, Jean Lannes, Jean-de-Dieu Soult, Ferdinand III, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and André-Jacques Garnerin. After him are Thomas Lawrence, Barthélemy Catherine Joubert, Ivan Kotliarevsky, Józef Elsner, Ernst Moritz Arndt, and Robert Stewart, Viscount Castlereagh. Among people deceased in 1839, William Smith ranks 8. Before him are Frederick VI of Denmark, Friedrich Mohs, Caroline Bonaparte, Fernando Sor, Pehr Henrik Ling, and William, Duke of Nassau. After him are Ranjit Singh, Princess Marie of Orléans, Charlotte Bonaparte, Milan Obrenović II, Prince of Serbia, Joseph Fesch, and Ferdinando Paer.

Others Born in 1769

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1839

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, William Smith ranks 929 out of 6,924. Before him are Margaret Stewart, Dauphine of France (1424), Henry Frederick, Prince of Wales (1594), Malcolm IV of Scotland (1141), Stephen Boyd (1931), James Stirling (1926), and Roger Daltrey (1944). After him are Infante Alfonso Carlos, Duke of San Jaime (1849), Daniel Radcliffe (1989), Greer Garson (1904), Alan Hodgkin (1914), Keith Emerson (1944), and Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (1848).

Others born in United Kingdom

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among GEOLOGISTS In United Kingdom

Among geologists born in United Kingdom, William Smith ranks 4. Before him are Charles Lyell (1797), James Hutton (1726), and Eduard Suess (1831). After him are Gideon Mantell (1790), Adam Sedgwick (1785), William Nicol (1770), Arthur Holmes (1890), William Buckland (1784), Charles Lapworth (1842), Archibald Geikie (1835), and Joseph Thomson (1858).

British born Geologists

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous
  • Datawheel