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GEOLOGIST

William Smith

1769 - 1839

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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 169,775 page views. His biography is available in 36 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 34 in 2019). William Smith is the 16th most popular geologist (down from 14th in 2019), the 1,081st most popular biography from United Kingdom (down from 929th in 2019) and the 5th 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

  • 170k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 58.43

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 36

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 6.91

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.16

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Page views of William Smiths by language


Among GEOLOGISTS

Among geologists, William Smith ranks 16 out of 59. Before him are Friedrich Mohs, Eduard Suess, Francis Beaufort, Vasily Dokuchaev, Beno Gutenberg, and Abraham Gottlob Werner. After him are Ignacy Domeyko, Gideon Mantell, Christian Leopold von Buch, Giuseppe Mercalli, John Tuzo Wilson, and Jean-André Deluc.

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Contemporaries

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

Others Born in 1769

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Others Deceased in 1839

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In United Kingdom

Among people born in United Kingdom, William Smith ranks 1,081 out of 7,765. Before him are Unity Mitford (1914), Shirley Bassey (1937), Ricky Gervais (1961), Daniel Radcliffe (1989), Daniel Burley Woolfall (1852), and Neil Gaiman (1960). After him are Stephen Hales (1677), William the Lion (1142), Saint David (512), Stephen Harding (1059), Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (1341), and Harriet Taylor Mill (1807).

Others born in United Kingdom

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Among GEOLOGISTS In United Kingdom

Among geologists born in United Kingdom, William Smith ranks 5. Before him are Charles Lyell (1797), Mary Anning (1799), James Hutton (1726), and Eduard Suess (1831). After him are Gideon Mantell (1790), William Buckland (1784), Adam Sedgwick (1785), Arthur Holmes (1890), John Phillips (1800), William Nicol (1770), and Henry Clifton Sorby (1826).

British born Geologists

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