Longitude

For centuries, sailors found themselves lost at sea due to their inability to measure longitude, a measurement of location east or west of Earth’s prime meridian. While most scientists and inventors spent years creating maps and looked for a celestial answer to this problem, carpenter and clockmaker John Harrison sought a mechanical solution. This book tells the dramatic story of Harrison’s forty-year obsession with building his perfect device, known today as the chronometer. Full of heroism and trickery, Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time is a fascinating history of astronomy, navigation, and scientific discovery.

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