what is the history of timekeeping?
hey anyone got the time? asking for a friend :)
Sundials were among the first types of clocks. The ancient Egyptians started using obelisks to measure the sun’s shadow as early as 3,500 BC. They developed water clocks, which were also used in Babylon, ancient Greece, Persia, Mesopotamia, India and ancient China.
Other types of clocks included the timestick, used in India, Tibet and Persia, and the candle clock, used in ancient Japan, ancient China, Mesopotamia and England.
The first fully mechanical clocks were developed by Christian monks in 14th Century medieval Europe. The clocks were installed in monasteries to coordinate prayer and work schedules. These early clocks used a complicated system of pulleys and weights to operate a striking mechanism. They were installed in churches and town halls, making timekeeping a public activity.
The invention of the spring mechanism in the 15th Century revolutionised clockmaking, enabling the development of smaller, more portable clocks. Types of clocks including wall clocks, tabletop clocks and mantel clocks became incredibly popular with the Renaissance nobility. Domestic clocks became a symbol of luxury, status and wealth.
The 17th Century saw another huge innovation in clockmaking with the introduction of pendulum clocks. In 1675, Huygens and English scientist Robert Hooke invented the spiral balance spring, or hairspring. This was a crucial step forward as it enabled the creation of accurate pocket watches for the first time.
The first carriage clocks were invented in the early 19th Century in France. These were small clocks designed for travelling, usually with a plain or gilt-brass case with a carrying handle, and often set with glass panels.
The end of the 19th Century saw the introduction of the wristwatch. Electric watches were pioneered in the 1950s.
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