Search results
John Harrison (3 April [O.S. 24 March] 1693 – 24 March 1776) was an English carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought-after device for solving the problem of calculating longitude while at sea.
Apr 3, 2018 · In his quest to win the prize, Harrison made some fascinating creations along the way. Here are five of Harrison’s best-known inventions, including the one for which he’s now famous.
Mar 14, 2023 · John Harrison (1693-1776) invented an accurate marine chronometer after several decades of research and development. While the pendulum clock had already been invented in the 17th century, a clock that could withstand the vagaries of the sea, humidity, and air temperature remained an elusive dream. Harrison's last watch, the H5 of 1770, was so ...
- Mark Cartwright
- John Harrison's H5 marine chronometer was accurate to one-third of a second per day.
- Harrison's chronometer was used to keep the time of Greenwich so that mariners could compare with their local time and so calculate their longitudi...
- John Harrison first invented a marine chronometer, the H1, in 1735. His last and most accurate chronometer, H5, was made in 1770 and tested in 1772.
John Harrison was an English horologist who invented the first practical marine chronometer, which enabled navigators to compute accurately their longitude at sea. Harrison, the son of a carpenter and a mechanic himself, became interested in constructing an accurate chronometer in 1728.
- The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica
John Harrison was a carpenter by trade who was self-taught in clock making. During the mid-1720s he designed a series of remarkable precision longcase clocks. These clocks achieved an accuracy of one second in a month, far better than any clocks of the time.
In 1735 he completed the first practical marine chronometer. By using the chronometer to keep accurate time from a known location – such as where the ship sets sail from – and comparing this with the time of day where the ship was located, accurate positioning became possible.
People also ask
What did John Harrison do for a living?
When did John Harrison first make a chronometer?
Who was John Harrison?
Why did John Harrison come to London?
Jul 17, 2020 · In 1976, mechanical engineer Bill Laycock wrote The Lost Science of John Longitude Harrison. The book outlined Harrison’s very different philosophy in pendulum clock design. Laycock’s work inspired horological sculptor Martin Burgess to create a pair of Harrison-type precision pendulum clocks.
