Sunday, October 03, 2010

Guardians of Time (Part III: Life to Silkworms)

Development of mechanisms, "guardians of time", as they have always been calling the clocks, coincides with the rapid development of the middle class, trade expanding, great journeys and discovering of new countries. Insatiable hunger for something new seems to have encouraged even science toward greater accuracy. Because, it was important to plan well, predict details, the exact time of arrival and return, and, on long journeys, along with the astrolabe (then an important astronomical device to measure the height of the sun and stars) and calendar, it was frequently and the only reliable friend who, if fails, is leaving passengers in the lurch.

It was not, for example, irrelevant when to go to China for the silkworm litters, and whether your good planning is going to bring you home at the right time or the eggs will hatch on the way, in the middle of some desert.

It is known that Columbus used all three types of clocks that existed in his time and that he often checked their values using the sand clock as their unit of measurement. And how much accuracy meant in those times, perhaps best testifies the big prize that UK government announced in 1714, which much contributed to the faster development of the clock.

To return to Guardians of Time (Part I: The Time Has Come), click HERE.

To read Guardians of Time (Part IV: Harrison for All Times), click HERE.
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