John Harrison
#5,239
Most Influential Person Across History
British clockmaker, horologist and inventor of the marine chronometer
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Mathematics
Why Is John Harrison Influential?
(Suggest an Edit or Addition)According to Wikipedia, John Harrison was an English carpenter and clockmaker who invented the marine chronometer, a long-sought-after device for solving the problem of calculating longitude while at sea. Harrison's solution revolutionized navigation and greatly increased the safety of long-distance sea travel. The problem he solved had been considered so important following the Scilly naval disaster of 1707 that the British Parliament was offering financial rewards of up to £20,000 under the 1714 Longitude Act, though Harrison was never fully able to receive these rewards due to political rivalries.
