Description
We will discuss how a tragic 1707 naval disaster near the Isles of Scilly of England, caused by navigational errors in longitude, spurred the 1714 Longitude Act and John Harrison’s invention of the marine chronometer—transforming maritime exploration. We’ll explore how ancient Greeks like Ptolemy mapped the world with early coordinates, and how civilizations from Babylon to Magellan’s era relied on latitude for navigation. We will explore how solving the longitude puzzle reshaped timekeeping, navigation, and global exploration, and how the twin axes of longitude and latitude guided sailors through uncharted waters.
