Invention of Clocks: Today, time rules every aspect of human life. But this was not something that humans invented overnight. The idea of ​​time has existed since the beginning of civilization. But what evolved was how humans learned to measure it. Let us know what is the answer to this question.

How did humans first understand time?

In the early stages of civilization, time was understood through nature. The rising and setting of the sun marked the beginning and end of the day. Along with this, the changing phases of the moon helped people keep track of the months. The movement of stars in the night sky also played a big role in understanding the cycles of weather.

24 hour day birth

The biggest milestone in the history of measuring time came from ancient Egypt. Between 1550 and 1069 BC the Egyptians divided the day into 24 hours. 12 hours were kept for day and 12 for night. But these hours were not fixed. The length of the 1 hour varied with the season. Long in summer and short in winter.

first device to measure time

The sundial is considered to be the oldest known device used to measure time. In this there was a straight stick stuck in the ground which was called nomon. As the sun moved in the sky, the shadow of the stick changed its position. This is how the time of the day was known. The oldest known sundial dates back to about 1500 BC in ancient Egypt.

water clock

The sundial worked only in daylight and clear weather. To deal with this problem, ancient civilizations developed water clocks. These are known as Ghati Yantra in India. These devices used a continuous flow of water from one vessel to another through a small hole. By measuring how much water flowed in a given time, people could keep track of time even at night or in cloudy weather.

Mechanical trains changed everything

The real revolution in time measurement came with the invention of mechanical clocks in Europe in the middle of the 14th century. These clocks used weights, gears, and escapement mechanisms to measure time without relying on natural objects. Initially these clocks were very large and not accurate but they brought a big change.

pendulum clock

In 1656, Dutch scientist Christian Huygens invented the pendulum clock. Due to this, tremendous improvement was seen in accuracy. Because of the pendulum’s constantly rotating motion, the clocks were behind by only a few seconds each day, rather than by minutes or hours.

first portable watch

In 1505, German locksmith Peter Henlein created the first portable clock. Although not very accurate by modern standards, it allowed people to take time with them for the first time.

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