Born in 1769, William Smith would eventually be hailed as "the Father of English Geology". He made the first geologic map that included all of England and he had a life full of hardship that led to this map's creation.
Smith was unemployed and was able to travel throughout the country because he had no responsibilities. He was able to study the entire island of England. From 1801 to 1817 he published maps and books about his findings on his travels. This maps were so incredible that many were plagiarized and sold for prices well below their value. He went into debt because of the cost of his travels and publishing his maps. For the next about 15 years he lived without credit for his work in poverty. Eventually in 1831 he was awarded the Wollaston Medal for his map. He died in 1839 but his legacy lives on. He paved the way for all geological surveys and has a crater on Mars named after him.
