I knew the gist of the John Harrison story prior to reading Longitude, but Dava Sobel goes beyond the accomplishments of this single man and charts the course of the problem, and all its proposed solutions. She sets up a context against which the true scope and power of Harrison’s achievement might be measured. As I explained above, the general solution to calculating longitude was long in evidence, but no one could think of a way to effect it. Galileo had some good ideas related to his observations of Jupiter’s moon, but they were hardly practical for marine navigation. Later, Newton and other English scientists were convinced that astronomy held the key to calculating longitude—and the king agreed with them, establishing the Royal Observatory for the purpose of cataloguing the stars. More than a simple puzzle that made academics scratch their heads, the problem of longitude affected society and the economy. It drove scientific inquiry and technological innovation. Watching this unfold through Sobel’s storytelling is breathtaking and inspiring. LONGITUDE, THE TRUE STORY OF A LONE GENIUS WHO SOLVED THE GREATEST SCIENTIFIC PROBLEM OF HIS TIME, by Dava Sobel (1995; Walker & Company, 2007) In the same format as his Newbery Honor title The Great Fire (1995), Murphy brings the blizzard of 1888 to life. He shows how military weather-monitoring practices, housing and employment conditions, and politics regarding waste management, transportation monopolies, and utilities regulation, all contributed to—and were subsequently affected by—the disaster. He does so through an appealing narrative, making use of first-hand accounts whose sources he describes in his notes at the end (though, disappointingly he cites nothing directly in the text). The wealth of quotable material made available through the letters of members of “the Society of Blizzard Men and Blizzard Ladies” and other sources help to make the story vivid. Many drawings and photographs (some of the blizzard, but most of related scenes) illustrate the text. These large reproductions are all in a sepia-tone that matches the color of the typeface—an effect that feels over-the-top, but doesn’t detract significantly from the power of the story. Murphy’s ability to pull in details that lend context allows him to tell this story of a place in time through the lens of a single, dramatic episode that will engage readers. This is skillfully done: humorous, jaw-dropping, thought-provoking, and chilling. (index) ( Nonfiction. 9-14) The history of this procedure plays an important part in the plot of Umberto Eco's new novel, ''The Island of the Day Before.'') From January through March 2006, Ms. Sobel served as the Robert Vare Non-fiction Writer in Residence at the University of Chicago, where she taught a seminar in science writing while pursuing research for her stage play about sixteenth-century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus, called "And the Sun Stood Still." Her play was commissioned by Manhattan Theatre Club through the Alfred P. Sloan Initiative, and was also supported by a Fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.

For the rest of his life, Harrison would devote himself to developing his chronometers and solving the longitude problem. years at Greenwich, England). She concludes, ''This difference makes finding latitude child's play, and turns the determination of longitude, especially at sea, into an adult dilemma -- one that stumped the wisest minds This link is for Harrison's prize-winning H4, finished in 1759. This elegant chronometer with its pretty detailing had been miniaturized down to a diameter of 5 inches. irst, is everyone clear on the difference between longitude and latitude? In her elegant history, ''Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the GreatestA sequel, Letters to Father, containing the full text of Galileo's daughter's correspondence in both English and Italian, was published by Walker in 2001. An English-only edition, a Penguin "Classic," followed in 2003. Her book Galileo's Daughter: A Historical Memoir of Science, Faith, and Love was a finalist for the 2000 Pulitzer Prize for Biography or Autobiography. [2] Dava Sobel in November 2007 The inability to solve the longitude problem for so long also had dire consequences. If a ship didn't know how far to the east or west it had traveled, then it didn't know where land was likely to be, and the unexpected contiguity of land had Ocr tesseract 4.1.1 Ocr_detected_lang en Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_module_version 0.0.5 Ocr_parameters -l eng Openlibrary OL11209442M Openlibrary_edition

Navigating purely by latitude was of course vulnerable if the sun was clouded over at noon, and caused problems as it prevented ships from taking the most direct route, a great circle, or a route with the most favourable winds and currents, extending voyages by days or even weeks. This increased the likelihood of short rations, [3] scurvy or starvation leading to poor health or even death for members of the crew and resultant risk to the ship. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2012-03-01 15:04:58 Boxid IA178901 Boxid_2 CH100801 Camera Canon EOS 5D Mark II City New York Containerid_2 X0001 DonorDetermining latitude was relatively easy in that it could be found from the altitude of the sun at noon with the aid of a table giving the sun's declination for the day. Latitude can also be determined from night sightings of Polaris, the northern pole star. Era tan importante para los países encontrar una solución al problema de la longitud, que les hacía perder barcos, mercancías, hombres y dinero, que decidieron poner una recompensa a aquél que diese una solución lo más exacta posible. El gobierno inglés llegó a ofrecer 20.000 libras, el equivalente a varios millones en la actualidad, estableciéndose así el Decreto de la Longitud de 1714. Re-reading this now, many of the details and events in the story remain as compelling as they were ten years ago. Longitude is a tremendous tale of battling scientists and the perseverance of hard work, brilliance, and humility through political intrigue and greed. American Library Association Outstanding Books for the College Bound and Lifelong Learners, Science and Technology, 2004 [11]

You might think that Harrison's incredible devices would be unanimously welcomed. Alas, no. He was forever battling vested interests until eventually, and after decades, King George III intervened. Brawarsky, Sandee (November 22, 2016). "100 Years of Asking Questions". The Jewish Week. New York City . Retrieved March 14, 2019. King George III looking none too pleased about the shenanigans he has to deal with. Belated success In recognition for Longitude, Sobel was named as a fellow of the American Geographical Society. [8] Film adaptations [ edit ]Non-fiction Outstanding Books for the College Bound Titles". Young Adult Library Services Association. 15 March 2007 . Retrieved 2015-11-01. But he believed that such a watch with too many technical challenges was not going to be a reality and was aligned more towards finding a solution for the longitude problem in the realms of astronomy. Dava Sobel is an accomplished writer of popular expositions of scientific topics. A 1964 graduate of the Bronx High School of Science, Ms. Sobel attended Antioch College and the City College of New York before receiving her bachelor of arts degree from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1969. She holds honorary doctor of letters degrees from the University of Bath, in England, and Middlebury College, Vermont, both awarded in 2002. Muchos científicos de renombre hicieron frente al reto pero sólo uno lo consiguió, John Harrison. Esta es su historia, la de él y la de otros tantos que quisieron encontrar una solución al problema. Galileo, Newton, Huygens y un largo etcétera no fueron capaces que dar con la clave. Tuvo que llegar Harrison, un desconocido, un autodidacta aficionado a los relojes, carpintero de profesión para poner fin al problema. Y no lo tuvo nada fácil, porque además de intentar construir sus máquinas de precisión, tuvo que hacer frente a la oposición de los astrónomos, empeñados en que su método era el mejor y más adecuado.