The Geological Society of London

Darwin was actually an accomplished geologist.

He served as the secretary of the Geological Society of London after he came back from the voyage that took him to the Galapagos, uh, partially because of the extensive geological notes that he made on that trip.

He gave us the theory of how volcanic islands form by layers of eruption over time.

Uh, Darwin had adopted a new theory of geology proposed by one Charles Lyell in the 1830s.

But in 1822, Buckland's friend William Connibare started informally calling the creature Megalosaurus, which is Greek for great lizard.

But it wasn't until February 20th, 1824, that Buckland presented a formal paper on Megalosaurus at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of London.

This was the first time anyone had officially scientifically described a dinosaur.

William Buckland became the first person in history to formally name and document a dinosaur fossil, which is...

I also want to impart the following note.

I visited Smith's map hanging in the Geological Society of London while I was teaching GIS and geography there.

Now, the staff wouldn't let me take a picture of the map, but I saw it.

The only wall long enough to show it is in a stairwell, so that's where it is.

And I discovered that she was this incredibly important fossil hunter whose discoveries really started paleontology in a lot of ways.

And that she was never allowed to join the Geological Society of London because she was a woman.

I mean, it was that simple.

So I was outraged for her, obviously.

Awesome.

Well, Carrie, what have you been reading?

Well, I feel like, you know, we started talking about Mary Anning and how, you know, she wasn't allowed to join the Geological Society.

Is that right? In real life, it's geological.

He became in time the proprietor of the Brunswick Brick, Tile, and Pottery Company.

He was also, in the hours outside of the business, something else entirely: an amateur geologist of serious standing, a fellow of the Geological Society, a man who'd built up an extensive fossil collection that eventually went to the Museum of Victoria, who corresponded widely with Australian geologists, who was second in command to Edgeworth David on the Funafuti coral atoll expedition in 1897, and who was elected president of the Royal Society of Victoria in 1905.

A plasterer and a businessman who was also a respected scientist.

His eldest daughter was paying attention.

Imagine making a legendary discovery, and every important meeting is men only.

No invitations for Mary, no speeches at the Geological Society of London.

But she kept hunting, learning and teaching others.

Scientists came to Lyme Regis just to learn from her.