Latitude Longitude Housewarming Gifts

The Amazing Story of Longitude

John Harrison
1693-1776
Holding a watch he
commissioned John Jefferys
to make in 1753 (while he
was building H3) which
proved the benefit of small,
high energy balance wheels.

John Harrison's H4
The Clock that changed
the world.

H3 is the third of John Harrison's large navigation clocks.
He started work on it in 1738 and was ready for sea trials
1757. H3 survives and can be seen keeping good time in
the Navigation Room at the Royal Observatory in
Greenwich, England.

Click here for a link to the
history of Harrison's clocks.

The Royal Observatory
Greenwich in 1700's

Harrison's H3

Harrison's H2

Harrison's H1

Demo One John Harrison & the Longitude Prize

The second trial of H4 was conducted by Harrison's son,
William, who departed for Barbados aboard the Tartar on
28 March 1764.

Click to view trailer

LONGITUDE
Produced by A&E

To be lost at sea meant wandering an empty ocean in a
lonely ship, far from shore and never finding safe harbor.

These perils were the stuff of legend since ships first sailed
beyond the sight of land. But until just over 200 years ago,
there was no sure way of knowing the position on the high seas.

The longitude problem was eventually solved by a working
class carpenter from Lincolnshire, England with little formal
education. John Harrison challenged the scientific and
academic establishment of his time and won the famous
Longitude Prize.

He used his mechanical genius and extraordinary
determination to build a clock that could function at sea. His
discovery enabled navigators to accurately fix their position.
To learn more about his fascinating story Click here.