Grandfather Clocks, Famous Clockmakers, and Clock Inventors

Plaque in Fleet Street, London, commemorating Thomas Tompion and George Graham
Famous Clockmakers and Inventors

Courtesy of Wikipedia

Galileo Galilei:

(February 15. 1564to January 8, 1642)

Portrait of Galileo Galilei by Giusto Sustermans

Courtesy of Wikipedia

 Galileo Galilei was an Italian physicist, mathematician, astronomer and philosopher.

He played a major role in the early revolution in the scientific community of his age.

His achievements include:

• Improvements to the telescope
• Contributions to observational astronomy
• Telescopic confirmation of the phases of venus
• Discovery of the four largest satellites of jupiter (named the galilean moons in his honor)
• Observation and analysis of sunspots
• Inventing an improved military compass

Galilei (AKA Galileo) has been called ‘the father of modern observational astronomy,’ ‘the father of modern physics,’ ‘the father of science,’ and ‘the Father of Modern Science.’ His life’s work is quite impressive.  Galileo Galilei is always noted as a great thinker amongst Famous Clockmakers.

Galilei was the center of some stormy debate concerning the current understanding of our universe. A preponderance of philosophers and astronomers of the time believed and promoted the view (geocentric) of the Earth as the center of the universe. He publicly maintained the view (heliocentric) that our Sun was at the center of the universe. He received harsh resistance from philosophers and clerics. Ultimately, he was ‘denounced’ to the Roman Inquisition early in 1615. In February the following year, the Catholic Church condemned his views as false and ‘contrary to Scripture.’ Even though he had promised to take his views back, he published, “Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems” in 1632. The Inquisition forced to take back his views. He then spent the rest of his life under house arrest.

George Graham:

(July 7, 1673 to November 20, 1751)

Courtesy of Wikipedia

 George Graham was an English Clockmaker, inventor, and geophysicist

He was born to George Graham in Kirklinton, Cumberland.

He married the niece of Thomas Tompion (A fellow clockmaker), Elizabeth Tompion. Tompion and Graham became partners.

His achievements include:

• Discovery of the diurnal variation of the terrestrial magnetic field in 1722
• First to notice that auroras are related to magnetic field variations
• The compass needles he produced compass needles , which were used by many of magneticians of the day
• Invented design improvements to the pendulum clock
• Invented the mercury pendulum
• Invented the orrery
• Invented of the dead beat escapement (aka the graham escapement)around 1715
• Loaned money to John Harrison (1728) to start work on his marine timekeeper

Edward Thomas Hall:

(May 10, 1924 to August 11, 2001)

Courtesy of Wikipedia

 Edward Thomas Hall CBE, Hon. FBA, FSA, D.Phil (AKA Teddy Hall) was a British scientist.

He was born in London. Hall was also a hot-air-balloon pilot.

In 1943, he joined the RNVR as an ordinary seaman, serving in landing craft transporting commandos to France.

His achievements include:

• Founder of Research Laboratory for Archaeology and the History of Art, Oxford University
• Founder of Littlemore Scientific Engineering Company (ELSEC), Oxford
• Helped to date the Turin Shroud as a medieval fake. (The dating done by Hall and his team is now disputed due to tested samples being cut from a patched corner of the shroud. See research on the Shroud of Turin.)
• Built the Littlemore Clock, possibly the most accurate pendulum clock (Clockmaker by default) ever (It was set in 18 tons of concrete, and varied only 0.01 seconds in each three months.)
• Ad hominem Professor at Worcester College, Oxford
• Trustee of the National Gallery
• Trustee of the British Museum
• Prime Warden of the Goldsmiths Company

John Harrison:

(March 24, 1693 to March 24, 1776)

P.L. Tassaert’s half-tone print of Thomas King’s original 1767 portrait of John Harrison, located at the Science and Society Picture Library, London – Courtesy of Wikipedia

John Harrison was a self-educated English Clockmaker.

His achievements include:

• Invented the marine chronometer

(This was a device that solved the problem of ascertaining the East to West position (longitude)  of a ship at sea. This so revolutionized safe long distance sea travel with sailing ships, that the british Parliament offered a prize of £20,000 for this solution.)

Christiaan Huygens:

(April 14, 1629 to July 8, 1695)

Picture courtesy of the Math 2033 Project, which is a project headed by professors at the University of Arkansas to get math away from the classroom and into the hands of the students. (http://math2033.uark.edu/wiki/index.php/Christiaan_Huygens)

Christiaan Huygens was a prominent Dutch mathematician, astronomer, physicist and horologist (The Study of Time, Clockmaker).

His achievements include:

• Early telescopic studies elucidating the nature of the rings of Saturn
• Discovery of its moon Titan
• Invented the pendulum clock
• Other investigations in timekeeping (and Clockmaker)
• Study of optics
• Discovery of centrifugal force
• Theorized that light consists of waves,now known as the Huygens–Fresnel principle
• This theory was instrumental in the understanding of wave-particle duality
• Theorized laws for collision of bodies
• A major role in the development of modern calculus
• Observations on sound perception (and repetition pitch)

Thomas Tompion:

(1639 to 1713)

Thomas Tompion was an English Clockmaker, watchmaker and mechanician.

He is regarded as the Father of English Clockmaking.

His achievements include:

• Some of the most historic and important clocks and watches in the world (These can bring extremely high prices, when they appear at auction.)
• A plaque commemorates the house he shared on Fleet Street with his equally famous pupil and successor George Graham

Richard Towneley:

(October 10, 1629 to January 22, 1707)

Richard Towneley was an English mathematician and astronomer.

He was one of a group of seventeenth century astronomers in the north of England, who laid the groundwork for astronomy research in the UK.

He introduced John Flamsteed to the micrometer. He designed the movement for the clocks (Clockmaker) used in the Greenwich Observatory.

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