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03-04-2018, 01:01 AM
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John Harrison was born this day 1693

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Harrison

John Harrison (3 April [O.S. 24 March] 1693 – 24 March 1776) was a self-educated English carpenter and clockmaker who invented a marine chronometer, a long-sought-after device for solving the problem of calculating longitude while at sea. His solution revolutionized navigation and greatly increased the safety of long-distance sea travel. The problem he solved was considered so important following the Scilly naval disaster of 1707 that the British Parliament offered financial rewards of up to £20,000 (equivalent to £2.89 million today) under the 1714 Longitude Act.
In 1995, inspired by a Harvard University symposium on the longitude problem organized by the National Association of Watch and Clock Collectors, Dava Sobel wrote a book on Harrison's work. Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time became the first popular bestseller on the subject of horology. The Illustrated Longitude, in which Sobel's text was accompanied by 180 images selected by William J. H. Andrewes, appeared in 1998. The book was dramatised for UK television by Charles Sturridge in a Granada Productions film for Channel 4 in 1999, under the title Longitude. It was broadcast in the US later that same year by co-producer A&E. The production starred Michael Gambon as Harrison and Jeremy Irons as Gould. Sobel's book was also the basis for a PBS NOVA episode entitled Lost at Sea: The Search for Longitude.
Longitude, along with another C4 production, 2002's Shackleton, is on my list of essential viewing for every year. Rivetting stories of endurance by gifted men in entirely different circumstances.
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03-04-2018, 08:03 AM
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Re: John Harrison was born this day 1693

Fascinating stuff Omah, thanks for bringing it to our attention...
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12-05-2018, 02:51 PM
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Re: John Harrison was born this day 1693

Longitude = Time!

Horology is good stuff.

My favorite proposed method to determine longitudinal position, was Galileo’s attempt to calculate the exact orbital periods of three of Jupiter’s moons: Europa, Ganymede, which would establish them as universal clocks.

Thank you for this share, Omah I have seen the excellent Nova episode but was unaware of this particular book.
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12-05-2018, 02:55 PM
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Re: John Harrison was born this day 1693

Aye talented man, nice to hear something good about Brits.
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12-05-2018, 03:16 PM
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Re: John Harrison was born this day 1693

Originally Posted by Surfermom ->
Longitude = Time!

Horology is good stuff.

My favorite proposed method to determine longitudinal position, was Galileo’s attempt to calculate the exact orbital periods of three of Jupiter’s moons: Europa, Ganymede, which would establish them as universal clocks.

Thank you for this share, Omah I have seen the excellent Nova episode but was unaware of this particular book.
If you can, get the film:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0192263/

It's over 4 hours long, but that length gives the viewer a better impression of how long it took John Harrision to get his due reward .....
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12-05-2018, 03:22 PM
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Re: John Harrison was born this day 1693

Originally Posted by Surfermom ->
Longitude = Time!

Horology is good stuff.

My favorite proposed method to determine longitudinal position, was Galileo’s attempt to calculate the exact orbital periods of three of Jupiter’s moons: Europa, Ganymede, which would establish them as universal clocks.

Thank you for this share, Omah I have seen the excellent Nova episode but was unaware of this particular book.
If you can, get the film:

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0192263/

It's over 4 hours long, but that length gives the viewer a better impression of how long and how much effort it took John Harrision to get his due reward .....
 

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