Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time

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Britain was not alone in the desire to solve the problem. France's King Louis XIV founded the Académie Royale des Sciences in 1666. It was charged with, among a range of scientific activities, the improvement of maps and sailing charts and advancement of the science of navigation. From 1715, the Académie offered one of the two Prix Rouillés specifically for navigation. [4] Spain's Philip II offered a prize for the discovery of a solution to the problem of the longitude in 1567; Philip III increased the prize in 1598. Holland added to the effort with a prize offered in 1636. [5] Navigators and scientists in most European countries were aware of the problem and were involved in finding the solution. Due to the international effort in solving the problem and the scale of the enterprise, it represents one of the largest scientific endeavours in history. But the real difference, as the she notes, is that the zero-degree parallel of latitude is fixed by nature and is the equator, while the zero-degree meridian of longitude is simply wherever science decides to place it (for more than Harrison was born in Yorkshire, the UK in 1693. The eldest of five children, he didn’t receive any formal education and started as a carpenter early in his life. Harrison craved learning in his teenage years. When he was 19 years old, a clergyman lent him a treasured textbook, a handbook of natural philosophy copied by a mathematician at Cambridge University. Harrison appreciated it. He made his own copy and studied the copy repeatedly.

Longitude : Dava Sobel : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming Longitude : Dava Sobel : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming

Whether an individual came up with this approach out of sincerity or irony is unknown. People with some intelligence would realize that was merely a ridiculous joke, when considering whether or not the powder could be effective at all, let alone when the subject was out on waters thousands of miles away. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2012-06-28 14:31:06 Bookplateleaf 0003 Boxid IA139201 Boxid_2 CH126908 Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II City New York Donor distance method, even though such calculations took over four hours to complete and were highly vulnerable to error. As Ms. Sobel tells of Harrison's struggles, one wants to hiss the royal astronomers who went so far as to sabotage But though Harrison had patrons interested in seeing him succeed, Harrison also made unlikely enemies. Many of the scientific elite, some of which tasked with review and approval of submissions to the Longitude Act, saw Harrison, a simple carpenter with no formal training or schooling, as naive and unworthy of serious consideration, let alone the immense grand prize. They saw his mechanical solution to such a literally astronomical problem as idealistic at best. At worst, it was lumped together with the other nonsensical or impossible solutions submitted. Some of these other submissions included injuring dogs at regular intervals to illicit yelps.In the same format as his Newbery Honor title The Great Fire (1995), Murphy brings the blizzard of 1888 to life. He shows how military weather-monitoring practices, housing and employment conditions, and politics regarding waste management, transportation monopolies, and utilities regulation, all contributed to—and were subsequently affected by—the disaster. He does so through an appealing narrative, making use of first-hand accounts whose sources he describes in his notes at the end (though, disappointingly he cites nothing directly in the text). The wealth of quotable material made available through the letters of members of “the Society of Blizzard Men and Blizzard Ladies” and other sources help to make the story vivid. Many drawings and photographs (some of the blizzard, but most of related scenes) illustrate the text. These large reproductions are all in a sepia-tone that matches the color of the typeface—an effect that feels over-the-top, but doesn’t detract significantly from the power of the story. Murphy’s ability to pull in details that lend context allows him to tell this story of a place in time through the lens of a single, dramatic episode that will engage readers. This is skillfully done: humorous, jaw-dropping, thought-provoking, and chilling. (index) ( Nonfiction. 9-14) Before the 18th century, ocean navigators could not find an accurate way of determining longitude. A practical solution came from a gifted carpenter, John Harrison, who solved one of the most difficult problems of his time by creating an accurate chronometer. The best scientists of the time, including Sir Isaac Newton, thought it impossible. Harrison spent four decades perfecting a watch that would earn him compensation from Parliament and longitude rewards thanks to the recognition and influence of King George III of Great Britain. Over the vast sea, people first put their hopes on the sky, trying to decipher longitude by observing the sun, the moon and stars, as celestial phenomena were the only references on the sea.

Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the

of the world for the better part of human history.'' In fact, so frustrating was this problem that it came to be thought of as synonymous with impossibility. This is a non-fiction book, which describes why knowing longitude is so important for sea voyages, multiple ways its correct and precise estimation was suggested and finally a life and struggle of John Harrison, the inventor of chronometer. I read it as a part of monthly reading for October 2022 at Non Fiction Book Club group. Would I teach it? Not in an English class, but I'd refer to it as a great example of science writing. The (true) story is great: legendary historical figures like Isaac Newton, Galileo, James Cook, King George III; scientific conundrums; innovative engineering; a ransom of millions at stake; and a humble, lone man competing against oppressive and manipulative big-wigs. Harrison disdained Shakespeare, prohibiting A Midsummer Night's Dream and Hamlet in his room, but he loved the handbook and Newtown’s Principia. These two books put his professional life in good stead.In her four decades as a science journalist she has written for many magazines, including Audubon, Discover, Life and The New Yorker, served as a contributing editor to Harvard Magazine and Omni, and co-authored five books, including Is Anyone Out There? with astronomer Frank Drake. Her most well known work is Longitude.