View a FREE sample

Chapter 1: Imaginary Lines

• Chapter 1 begins by explaining the history of the longitude problems.

• John Harrison, an English clockmaker, devoted himself to solving this problem by inventing a clock that can be used at sea.
• The British Parliament established The Longitude Act of 1714 which set a monetary prize for solving the longitude problem.

Chapter 2: The Sea Before Time

• Admiral Sir Clowdisley's fleet ran aground in 1707 due to a longitudinal miscalculation.

• Not only did the problem of longitude have human consequences, it also had economic ones.

• Seagoing trade was particularly difficult without a measure of longitude, and the economic losses of ships run aground and attacked by pirates fueled the need for a solution.
• As a result of Sir Clowdisley's misfortune, the British legislature passed the Longitude Act of 1714, promising twenty-thousand pounds to whomever could solve the problem.

• The Centurion decided not to take Harrison's clock on their voyage to...

(read more Chapter Abstracts)

This section contains 1,458 words (approx. 5 pages at 300 words per page) View a FREE sample