Edgeworth David

Sir Tannatt William Edgeworth David was born on January 28, 1858, near Cardiff, Wales. Appointed Assistant Geological Surveyor of New South Wales in 1882, he made the momentous discovery of the Greta coal seams in the Hunter Valley, securing New South Wales's industrial future. In 1891, he became Professor of Geology at the University of Sydney.

Joining Shackleton's Nimrod expedition in 1907 at age 50, David led the legendary first ascent of Mount Erebus and successfully pinpointed the South Magnetic Pole on January 16, 1909. In World War I, he joined the military at age 58, coordinating deep mining tunnels beneath German positions at the Battle of Messines. His monumental Geology of the Commonwealth of Australia is a foundational text.