History of the clock
The history of clocks is a fascinating one, stretching back thousands of years to the earliest civilizations. From simple sun dials to highly accurate atomic clocks, the development of clocks has been driven by our need to measure time with ever-increasing precision. In this article, we will take a look at the history of clocks from their earliest beginnings to the present day.
The earliest clocks
The earliest clocks were simple devices used to measure time based on the movements of the sun and stars. One of the most famous of these devices is the sundial, which dates back to ancient Egypt and was used to track the movement of the sun across the sky. Another early clock was the water clock, which used the steady flow of water to measure time.
As technology advanced, so too did the complexity of clocks. One of the most important developments in the history of clocks was the invention of the mechanical clock in Europe during the Middle Ages. These clocks used a system of gears and springs to keep time, and were capable of much greater accuracy than earlier devices.
The rise of the pendulum clock
In the 17th century, the invention of the pendulum clock revolutionized timekeeping. These clocks used a swinging pendulum to regulate the movement of the clock’s gears, resulting in far greater accuracy than earlier mechanical clocks. The pendulum clock was a major breakthrough in the history of clocks, and remained the most accurate timekeeping device for several centuries.
