I only did that v recently and I’m 🇬🇧, those clocks, the Royal Observatory and The other attractions at Greenwich are well worth a visit

This is awesome.

I read Longitude and went to Greenwhich from Australia to see Harrison’s watch.

I also am from Australia and went to Greenwich, without knowing the history attached to the clocks. Being young, I was smitten with the Cutty Sark and Gipsy Moth IV, Sir Francis Chichester’s yacht.

Enjoy your well-earned retirement

A true unsung hero was the German astronomer Tobias Mayer who developed “The method of lunar distance” for finding longitude at sea years before the Harrison Chronometer. When Lieutenant James Cook Conducted his first voyages of exploration he used this method. Tobias Mayer's was the first method of finding longitude outside of using the “time stamp” of a lunar eclipse which worked only during eclipses on land but served to locate the land mass and give a datum for map makers. Tobias Mayer submitted his tables and method to his University of Göttingen in 1752 and in 1755 he submitted them to the Royal Society and French Academy. The Longitude board in Britain was established to compile more accurate tables. (Parliament was so greatfull they voted Mayer's widow 3000 pounds, about 500,000 in today’s terms) Chronometers were expensive and unreliable so most ships navigated for 150 years without chronometers or had the almanac and ephemera as a backup. All of the great discoveries were made with Tobias methods. Cook was accurate to about 1 nautical mile with a chronometer and about 50 with lunar distance. The laboriousness of the work of compiling these tables induced Charles Babbage to try and develop a mechanical digital computer called the difference engine to calculate them.

David Murphy Hi, a US Navy Destroyer..., I’ve just watched again the story of Taffy 3..., where ....😳lol these crazy ships termed ”US Destroyers” took on the Japanese Centre Force......, I’m guessing their good ships the crew if you want to get wet or involved in taking on fights that are completely over the top😂👍

I was in the United States Coast Guard in the Vietnam Era and was fascinated by time and its relationship to navigation. I agree "Longitude" was a great book and detailed Harrisons struggle against the government.

William, with respect, there's one issue with your chronology. Can you check those dates, please? Correct me if I'm wrong, but the dates are barely credible, so you might have made an error. Mayer would have to be well over 100 years old in 1855, because that's 85 years after James Cook set foot in Botany Bay, in 1770. Mayer would have had to let the British Admiralty, and thus Cook, have his ideas a year or two before 1770, so he would have been only 13 years old in 1768, for him to be 'only' a centenarian when he made his gift to the university. A young German, aged less than about 20, would be unlikely to gain the ear of British officials at that time. Thanks.

@@WilliamJones-Halibut-vq1fs Thanks for the very enlightening comment. I had to pause the video when I read your comment was more interesting than the original video.... Now I've got some googling and reading to do as the lunar distance method was new to me. It's always a good day when you get to learn something new!

Old time cure for an wind-up watch was to leave it open over a jar of parafin/kerosene...the vapour would clean it out and lubricate it and...usually the watch was working again.

show off ...

That's a perfect epitaph for him. :)

what

It took me a second to realize the perfect timing one, we're making clock joke wow I didn't even realize until now honestly.

I really hope that's written on his grave 😀

*revolutioniSed

@@adolflenin4973 *incorrect! Go read the OED: "-ize" It will tell you that "-ise" is an "acceptable alternative" spelling. It's an example of inverse snobbery that sprang up in my youth back in the mid to late 70's; someone in media, who wasn't so certain in their education (specifically spelling in their English Language) because they went to lower quality modern comprehensive school, looked at American spelling, saw that over there they _always_ use the "-ize" ending, decided (ignorantly) that they always get things wrong, and that "therefore we must spell it -ise." It was an increasingly prevalent opinionated problem at the time and I remember the instance of the spelling change increasing throughout my childhood. But in my first job out of Uni I took up as a Quality Manager (BS 5750 which became ISO 9000) and was introduced to the world of Standards documents from the BSI, in which all instances of words such as "organize" and "authorize" remained spelled the traditional "correct" way, and has been until recent years. (Look at a selection of published Standard today and you will find some using "-ise" endings because it is now the prevalent spelling but some still using "-ize" because they haven't needed replacing whole-scale so consistent spelling is maintained within. Given the number of standards I have to read today, I believe the BSI has greatly relaxed their style guide to allow authors to choose whatever spelling they like and various styles of grammar that would have been frowned upon 20 years ago...)

'If you cannot be bothered to exercise the minimum amount of courtesy to your reader - making your opinion as digestible as possible for them - then why should the reader be bothered to read your opinion? You obviously do not respect your own opinion enough to package it correctly, so why should anyone else?' - every prof in every university. I thought that goes extremely well with the OP blaming lower quality schools - an ironical explosion is the only way to describe what is happening here.

@@Dranok1 English is British

@Adolf Lenin Determined to be wrong, I see. American English is still English ya daft git.

It's perfectly easy to register as a household that doesn't require a licence for renewable two year periods, which would stop licence fee reminders or any visits from enforcement officers, and spare you from your victim complex. But this programme was made with money from licence fee payers, so if you enjoy BBC TV programmes, why not buy a licence?

switch to islam and the bbc will not bother you.

Im from the USA. I've never heard of a TV License. What is that exactly?

@@robert-zj7efyou need a license to drive and you need a license to watch TV .it applies specifically to watch BBC but the government will track you even if you watch independent channels

That a movie ?? :)

*This* is the kind of video I long for on YT.

They were and still are to some extent, pretty demented regarding class.

Wrong, they invested a lot of time on an alternative. They wanted to use stars and maths so every captain could figure where they where without a very expensive clock. nothing to do with class.

I really enjoyed the book about these clocks. Fantastic story

@@vespasian266when the navy and the world wanted a solution.. Harrison provided it.. Just like Frank Whittle, Harrison was treated to high brow foolishness that got in the way of the progress of mankind

Being Canadian, I'm no big fan of any peerage, but apparently the King stepped in. The "wanna-be king" types can we more conservative than the ruler. Something similar with Louis 15, I believe-he wanted the "nobility" of France to pay taxes, and they didn't, which led to the French revolution of Louis 16.

Another little known engineer to look up, pertinent to the Wright Brothers, is Charles E. Taylor, their “mechanician.”

I drop a log just about every morning.

James Burke covered this invention in one of his programmes, as well as the mainspring used in future naval clocks.The story of the metal used for the mainspring is a story in itself.

When the BBC made an abundance of quality programmes.

I see AHD is now 79 .... and a big miss from our TV screens.

​@@notrut He reminds me of Tim Hunkin, who did Secret Life of Machines years ago. You can watch him on KZfaq as well!

not in elementary but i'm in 8th and we're watching this and doing an assignment for science!!

I agree. Watched another video that was all about people, but this one gave me perfect clarity on the problem itself. Thanks.

A local acquaintance is a long retired clock maker. He recently made several wooden clocks for entry in the local woodworking festival (and subsequent sale.) Like you I was initially skeptical but not anymore! 😉

The hush and the respect shown to H1, H2 and H3 is palpable. I made sure my sons understood the magnitude of the objects in front of them. Far better than the Crown Jewels across the Thames.

Another good book about the history of determining longitude is " finding longitude" by Richard Dunn.

Me too. 💛💙

Wasn't it lovely when the BBC made interesting, well written documentaries instead of propaganda. Next year they are making a series about Harrison, apparently he was actually a black, middle aged, muslim, trans man(pronouns beep, bop, boop). Can't wait!

​@@WilfChadwick too right my friend

Sorry to say presentation seems like an ego problem...sorry to see a real fantastic intelling man being degraded by a person of much less intelegt

This is over 10 years old. He must be close to death by now.

The Longitude Board didn't, the tight fisted w@nkers

Me too. I ejaculated at 26:39, not once, but six times. Today. My shaft is bleeding :(

The illustrated book is especially wonderful.

blxtothis Let’s not forget that great Leeds Clockmaker Potts.

As a lifelong gearhead, I've always been fascinated by How Things Work & being "Single" for 69 yrs., I certainly had more time than most, to Study & Research things. I just very recently, watched some YT Vids on How Expensive Watches like Rolex's are Built & Why people pay the $$$ they do for them. I never knew that the Watchmaker's Craft was so precision & complicated & that it took two "steady" hands to do this skill. There is a lot of "mis-information" on the Internet, so I'll have to do a lot more research, before I believe it all! Looks like I just committed myself to ANOTHER field that I just don't have the Time for! 🤣

Boom. Look at you. Mr Knowledge.

Ah but if not for Harrison I wonder how long it would have been before the clock method would have overtaken the method using the moon.

The increased accuracy over H1, H2, and H3 wasn't from scaling it down (that was just a side benefit), but from replacing pendulums with an oscillating balance wheel.

As he said in the video, Harrison died before he could celebrate his victory.

It's the same reason we don't read about the invention of the plow, transistor, radio, and many other things that make life different, but only get covered in obscure TV programs, such as James Burke's "Inventions" or "The Day the Universe Changed." Burke is a science historian, who goes deeper than only the marketing of inventions like Edison did. In fact, the incandescent electric bulb was invented by a Brit decades before Edison did his part.

I imagine the chain was a safety feature. Have the boat rock the wrong way at the right time (without the chain) and you may very well lose your watch overboard.

'Running down the longitude' certainly didn't help a lot of British ships bound for Melbourne in the colonial era. Ships of the day would round the Cape of Good Hope, and then pick up the 'roaring forties' to carry them east across the Indian Ocean. But sailing a 'great circle' route meant they dipped down well to the south of Australia, into the 40 degree south latitudes. That meant they had to know their longitude, so they knew when to start veering north-east to find Bass Strait, between Tasmania and Victoria on the mainland. 'Threading the eye of the needle' mariners called it, and many failed. These days the south-west coast of Victoria is called the Shipwreck Coast. The north-west coast of Tasmania, and the islands in the western approaches to Bass Strait are also littered with wrecks.

I have it on VHS

My all time favourite book. I love his perseverance.

Practically a given due to the fact he was dealing with government.

Perfect example of the NIH (Not Invented Here) syndrome. No matter how great the product, idea or conclusion; if “I” didn’t think of it, it’s not good enough. If you’re not part of the “approved” group, then I’m sorry but your product isn’t good enough. However, let me change the color of it or add a screw in any blank space and now “mine” is the obvious winner.

@@hiker64012 quite so

I dont think thats on KZfaq anymore.been looking for it.

Harrison’s genius was in the regulation and compensation of the movement. Not easy for a mechanical click to keep regular time on a rolling ship (3D gravity issues) moving between temperatures and humidities ( change in sizes and mechanical behaviour of components )

From vertical to horizontal was the trick...everything else was straight engineering.

@@howler6490 Interesting. I had not heard that before. So a spring to power the mechanism rather than weights. Thank you.

Great read. The timbers used, tested were also important.

True enough but the lunar distance method wasn’t dependent on a mechanical clock and was used for quite a long time. It worked as well. It wasn’t for quite a long time that ships were routinely fitted with chronometers because they were expensive. You also needed backup in case the clock stopped.

Yes. I enjoyed reading about the ‘events’ regarding the aforementioned book. Perseverance by those involved did facilitate economic progress along with safety. Take care.

I have that book and have read it a number of times. As an Australian I give thanks as this clock and those developed mechanical versions were what enabled Lt, later Cap, James Cook to navigate the the Pacific and map so accurately the East Coast of Australia.

@@michaelhayden725 Hi Michael, a great invention, a great book and did we (as an Englishman) send you to Australia? Joking aside, I really enjoyed the book showing the tenacity of people in the olden days. The money was an incentive too along with notoriety. I recommend “Galileo’s Daughter’ by Dava Sobel, as it is highly informative. Take care.