Since the dawn of time, lines of latitude and longitude have played a significant role in a sailor's journey. These lines helped ships stay on course and obtain their actual destination. In the time being, Sailors measured their latitude by the hour of the day, or by the position of the sun. However, the measurement of longitude, by comparison, were much for strenuous to achieve. To master longitude at sea, one needs to know what the time is aboard a ship and also the time at the home port at that very same moment. Accurate knowledge of the hour in two separate places at once was unachievable during the ages of primitive technology. John Harrison, a mechanically savvy genius, devoted his entire life to finding a solution. He invented a clock that carried the exact time from one port to any other place within a large distance. His invention forever changed the perception of maritime exploration and paved the way for safer journeys across the ocean.
John Harrison is widely known for his dedication to Naval Navigation and inventing a modern clock that would be accurate enough for a sea voyage. Development of his first clocks were very time-consuming and required Harrison spend a large part of his life at his home in London. Harrison urged to produce a product that would satisfy the requirements of the bounty and pristine enough for naval operation. The clunky timepiece was mostly accurate but complicated for maritime demands and therefore too expensive. When developing his inventions, Harrison either spent most of his time in London or at sea partaking in trials for his clocks. After over 30 years of trial and error, Harrison developed clocks like the H1 through the H-4, time relics that forever changed Maritime History. Cross-Atlantic Journeys were changed by his invention, thus defining the location of many journeys throughout the years. .
The Greenwich Royal Observatory played a crucial role in navigational history.
