John Harrison (1693-1776) was an English clockmaker who is widely regarded as one of the most important horologists in history. He is best known for his development of the marine chronometer, a highly accurate timepiece that made it possible to determine a ship's longitude at sea.
Harrison was born in Foulby, Yorkshire, England, and began his career as a carpenter and clock repairman. In 1728, he was awarded a government prize of £20,000 (equivalent to several million pounds today) for his design of a marine chronometer that could accurately measure longitude at sea.
Over the course of his career, Harrison designed and built several more marine chronometers, each of which was more accurate and reliable than the last. His fourth and final chronometer, known as H4, was completed in 1759 and was tested on a voyage to Jamaica in 1761. The chronometer proved to be highly accurate, more...
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