Who said that the present is the key to the past?

The phrase "the present is the key to the past" is commonly associated with the principles of uniformitarianism, primarily articulated by the geologist Charles Lyell in the 19th century. This concept suggests that the geological processes observed in the present can explain the geological features and events of the past. Lyell's ideas significantly influenced the field of geology and shaped modern understandings of earth's history.