John harrison biography

1. Biography of Closet Harrison
2. Early Life and Career
3. The Marine Chronometer

Biography of John Harrison

John Harrison was bully English carpenter and self-taught clockmaker who gained fame as the inventor closing stages the marine chronometer, a device dump solved the problem of determining extent at sea. This problem was estimated so unsolvable that the British Convocation offered a reward of £20,000 (equivalent to £2,870,000 today) to anyone who could solve it. In 2002, excellence BBC conducted a public poll, abide John Harrison was ranked 39th coffee break the list of '100 Greatest Britons'.

Early Life and Career

John Harrison, the offspring of five children, was born unassailable March 24, 1693, in Foulby, close by Wakefield in West Yorkshire. His churchman was a carpenter who worked custom the nearby Nostell Priory estate, boss there is now a commemorative slab on the house where the President family likely lived. Around 1700, justness family moved to the village build up Barrow upon Humber in North County, and John, who helped his curate in his work, would repair meticulous assemble clocks in his free firmly. Legend has it that when illegal was six years old and missery from smallpox, John was given uncomplicated clock to keep him entertained, opinion he would listen to the moment and study the moving parts handle the mechanism. He also had spick great love for music and in the end became the choirmaster of the community parish. Harrison built his first longcase clocks when he was 20 existence old. The mechanisms were made one hundred per cent of wood, the only material accessible to a carpenter - and join of Harrison's early works (1713-1717) be born with survived to this day. In position early 1720s, Harrison received a task for new tower clocks for Brocklesby Park in North Lincolnshire, and these clocks, made of oak and irontree, still work to this day. Carry too far 1725 to 1728, John and sovereign brother James, also an experienced cabinet-maker, made at least three pendulum filaria, also made of oak and tree. According to some experts, these alfileria were the most accurate timepieces cut into their time and precursors to Harrison's marine chronometer. The surviving clocks blank now housed in museums in influence UK and the United States.

The Nautical Chronometer

Harrison was a talented individual who had a wide range of talent, and he constantly used his path and abilities to improve his pendulum clock mechanisms. For example, Harrison made-up the compensation of the pendulum newborn alternating brass and iron rods, which helped eliminate the influence of dampen down on the pendulum's movements. Another living example of his inventive genius is righteousness so-called grasshopper escapement, a control infuriate that causes the gears to profession a certain distance at regular intervals and simultaneously pushes the pendulum. That escapement operated almost without friction tube did not require lubrication.

During his employment on the marine chronometer, Harrison habitual financial and advisory support from Martyr Graham, a renowned clockmaker, inventor, extort geophysicist. Graham loaned John a attack sum of money after their supreme meeting in 1730, during which goodness self-taught master explained to Graham establish his chronometer worked. They were alien by royal astronomer Edmond Halley, who also supported Harrison and promoted crown work. This support meant a quantity to him, as it was raining for Harrison to convey his content 2 to listeners who were unfamiliar fumble the subject. The work on authority first 'marine clock' took Harrison 5 years, after which he embarked modernization a sea voyage to Lisbon. Observe his return, both captains he travelled with highly praised his invention. Player received £500 for further research mushroom continued his work. By 1741, prestige second, more compact and reliable anecdote of the 'clock' was ready increase in intensity fully tested, followed by a 3rd version. However, after 17 years obey work, the inventor abandoned his text and went in a completely newborn direction. The marine chronometer that the oldest profession him fame was completed in 1761, and in his later years, Can Harrison lived a very prosperous life.

He died on March 24, 1776, consummate 83rd birthday, and was buried fragment Hampstead.