By Tom Sharpe, Chair, History of Geology, Geological Society, former curator of Paleontology and Archives Department of Geology, National Museum of Wales.

2015 is the 200th anniversary of William Smith's map of the geology of England, Wales and southern Scotland. It was the first geological map of a large region, with detailed stratigraphy, and was a milestone in geology: In the words of author Simon Winchester, this is "The Map that Changed the World." Come hear about surveyor William Smith, the history of the map, Geological Society controversies, and see the map (from Memorial's collection) for yourself!