John Hailstone facts for kids

John Hailstone was an English geologist who lived a long time ago. He was born on December 13, 1759, and passed away on June 9, 1847. He studied rocks and the Earth's history.

About John Hailstone

Growing Up and School

John Hailstone grew up in York, England. He lived with his uncle from a young age. He went to Beverley school in the East Riding of Yorkshire. John also had a younger brother named Samuel Hailstone.

John was a very smart student. He went to the University of Cambridge. First, he studied at Catharine Hall. Later, he moved to Trinity College. In 1782, he achieved great success. He was the second wrangler, meaning he was the second-best math student in his year. He also came second in the Smith's Prize, another important math competition. He was just behind James Wood, who later became a leader at Saint John's College.

His Work as a Geologist

In 1784, John Hailstone became a fellow at Trinity College. Four years later, he got a very important job. He became the Woodwardian Professor of Geology. This meant he was a top expert in geology at Cambridge University. He held this position for thirty years.

To learn even more, he traveled to Germany. He studied geology under a famous teacher named Werner. This was at Freiburg for about a year. When he came back to Cambridge, he spent a lot of time. He collected many different rocks and geological samples.

Even though he didn't give many lectures, he did publish a plan for his lectures in 1792. He also greatly improved the university's geology museum. He added many new and interesting specimens to it.

John Hailstone was a respected scientist. He became a member of the Linnean Society in 1800. The next year, in 1801, he joined the Royal Society. He was also one of the first members of the Geological Society of London. He wrote several important papers. These papers were published in scientific journals. They shared his findings and ideas about geology.

Later Years

John Hailstone got married. In 1818, he moved to Trumpington, a village near Cambridge. He became the vicar there. He worked hard to help educate the poor children in his parish.

He continued his scientific interests. He spent a lot of time studying chemistry and mineralogy. These are other sciences related to rocks and materials. He also kept a meteorological diary for many years. This diary recorded weather observations.

He kept adding to the Woodwardian Museum's collection. He also left behind many handwritten journals. These journals described his travels both in England and abroad. He also had a lot of letters. These letters were about geology with other scientists.

John Hailstone passed away in Trumpington. He died on June 9, 1847. He was 87 years old.