What time is it? That’s easy, just look at a clock. But how did people know what time it was before clocks were invented?
Ancient civilizations came up with many ways to tell the time. Early time-keeping devices were very different from modern clocks. People used the position of the sun, stars, and moon. One of the first clocks was a sundial. This type of early clock used shadows to tell what time of day it was. People placed the sundial towards the east-west in the morning, then they turned it around at noon. Sundials could only be used during the day, so ancient people used candles to know what time it was at night. A candle clock was a set of multiple candles. Each candle was divided into segments, and every segment represented a certain amount of time. As the candles burned, people could tell how much time had passed. Another early time-keeping device was a water clock. A water clock uses two containers; one container is filled with water and has a hole, and the other container has marks representing the hours. The second container was placed under the first container, so the water dripped from one container to another. People could tell what time it was by looking at the water level. Another method was using an hourglass. It is very similar to the water clock, but it uses sand instead of water.
Over time, people developed more ways to know what time it was. In 1656, the pendulum clock was invented. This type of clock uses a swinging pendulum to know when to move the clock’s hands. Pendulum clocks were mostly used in clock towers and some ran a bell each time an hour had passed. The quartz clock was invented in 1929. The way this clock works is by timing the vibrations of a quartz crystal inside the clock’s electric circuit. Atomic clocks were invented in 1955. The atomic clock uses an atom’s vibrations to measure time. This type of clock has an error of 1 second per 30 years, making atomic clocks the most precise.
There are many famous clocks around the world. One of the most well-known clocks is England’s Big Ben, a tower clock that uses a pendulum mechanism to hit a giant bell. The oldest working clock is found in the Salisbury Cathedral in Italy. This church clock was made in 1309. The first cuckoo clock was made in Germany in 1775. Cuckoo clocks resemble the sound of the cuckoo bird. The first stopwatch was made in France in 1821, and it was called a chronograph.
The word “clock” comes from the Latin word “clocca” which means “bell.” This term was first used in the 14th century. Before the word “clock” people used the old English word “daegmael” which means “day measure”.
From the first sundial to the modern atomic clock, timekeeping devices have changed over time. People have always liked the idea of being able to know what time it is, and have come up with many ways to tell time. Nowadays, people use phones and smartwatches to look at what time it is. Clocks and timekeeping devices have an interesting history.
