Philippe-Charles Schmerling, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Philippe-Charles Schmerling

Belgian-Dutch scientist

Date of Birth: 02-Mar-1790

Place of Birth: Delft, South Holland, Netherlands

Date of Death: 07-Nov-1836

Profession: historian, paleontologist, archaeologist, anthropologist, prehistorian, paleoanthropologist

Nationality: Belgium

Zodiac Sign: Pisces

Philippe-Charles or Philip Carel Schmerling (2 March 1791 Delft – 7 November 1836, Liège) was a Dutch/Belgian prehistorian, pioneer in paleontology, and geologist.
He is often considered the founder of paleontology. In 1829 he discovered the first Neanderthal fossil in a cave in Engis, the partial cranium of a small child, although it was not recognized as such until 1936, and is now thought to be between 30,000-70,000 years old.
It was the second discovery of a fossil of the genus Homo after the discovery of the Red Lady of Paviland in Wales in 1823.