A clock only four minutes wrong could shift a ship’s calculated longitude by one degree. On an open ocean, knowing east from west was a serious problem.
Original animated history from Unfinished Past. The illustrated guide, ships and mechanisms are conceptual.
Sources:
What is longitude? — Royal Museums Greenwich
Longitude found: Harrison’s timekeepers — Royal Museums Greenwich
H4 marine timekeeper, ZAA0037 — Royal Museums Greenwich
John Harrison’s marine timekeepers — Royal Museums Greenwich
#History #Longitude #Shorts
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