1760

Events in 1760 4

• 1760 – 1788 Hutton — deep geological time The Earth is inconceivably old — "no vestige of a beginning" James Hutton of Edinburgh, through observation of Scottish rock formations, concluded in his Theory of the Earth (1788) that geological processes — erosion, deposition, uplift — operate extremely slowly and have been doing so for an immense time. His famous phrase "no vestige of a beginning, no prospect of an end" introduced the concept of deep time. His work was essential for Darwin, who needed vast geological time for evolution to operate.
• 1760 – 1846 Thomas Clarkson (1760-1846) Died 26 September 1846, aged 86 Clarkson was an English abolitionist and a founder of the Society for Effecting the Abolition of the Slave Trade. His research and campaigning helped pass the Slave Trade Act of 1807 and the abolition of slavery across the British Empire.
• 1760 – 1844 William Beckford (1760-1844) Died 2 May 1844, aged 83 English novelist, art collector and very wealthy man. He wrote the Gothic novel Vathek and built the extravagant Fonthill Abbey.
• 1760 – 1842 Luigi Cherubini Classical opera composer Italian composer based in Paris, known for his operas and sacred music. Beethoven considered him the greatest living composer.