John Harrison

John Harrison ( – 24 March 1776) was an English carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought-after device for solving the problem of how to calculate longitude while at sea.

Harrison's solution revolutionized navigation and greatly increased the safety of long-distance sea travel. The problem he solved had been considered so important following the Scilly naval disaster of 1707 that the British Parliament was offering financial rewards of up to £20,000 (equivalent to £}} in ) under the 1714 Longitude Act, though Harrison never received the full reward due to political rivalries. He presented his first design in 1730, and worked over many years on improved designs, making several advances in time-keeping technology, finally turning to what were called sea watches. Harrison gained support from the Longitude Board in building and testing his designs. Towards the end of his life, he received recognition and a reward from Parliament. He came 39th in the BBC's 2002 public poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Provided by Wikipedia
Showing 1 - 20 results of 24 for search 'Harrison, John', query time: 0.04s Refine Results
  1. 1
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1987
  2. 2
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1992
    Printed Book
  3. 3
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1971
    Printed Book
  4. 4
    Printed Book
  5. 5
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1987
    Printed Book
  6. 6
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1964
    Printed Book
  7. 7
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1970
    Printed Book
  8. 8
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1978
  9. 9
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1964
  10. 10
    by Harrison,John
    Published 1978
    Printed Book
  11. 11
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1964
    Printed Book
  12. 12
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1993
    Printed Book
  13. 13
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1992
    Printed Book
  14. 14
    by Harrison, John
    Published 1993
    Printed Book
  15. 15
    by Harrison, John Armstrong
    Published 1967
    Printed Book
  16. 16
    by Harrison,John F
    Published 2012
    Printed Book
  17. 17
    Printed Book
  18. 18
    Printed Book
  19. 19
    Printed Book
  20. 20
    by Collinge, Vincent E
    Published 1970
    Other Authors: ...Harrison, John...
    Printed Book