A Dictionary of Contemporary World History (3 ed. [38], Water clocks, or Fenjaan, in Persia reached a level of accuracy comparable to today's standards of timekeeping. ), English journalist John Wilkes is arrested for publishing seditious libel in issue no 45 of his weekly magazine The North Briton, Go to Wilkes, John (1725–97) in [140][141][142][143], In 1675, Huygens and Robert Hooke invented the spiral balance, or the hairspring, designed to control the oscillating speed of the balance wheel. The water clocks used in Iran were one of the most practical ancient tools for timing the yearly calendar. ), 15-year-old Elisabeth-Louise Vigée-Lebrun earns enough from painting portraits to support the rest of her family, Go to Vigée-Lebrun, Élisabeth (16 Apr. [163] Atomic clocks have employed other elements, such as hydrogen and rubidium vapor, offering greater stability—in the case of hydrogen clocks—and smaller size, lower power consumption, and thus lower cost (in the case of rubidium clocks). A major stimulus to improving the accuracy and reliability of clocks was the importance of precise time-keeping for navigation. ), Jack Broughton, champion of England, opens an academy to teach 'the mystery of boxing, that wholly British art', Go to broughtonian n. in On January 11, 1841, Alexander Bain along with John Barwise, a chronometer maker, took out another important patent describing a clock in which an electromagnetic pendulum and an electric current is employed to keep the clock going instead of springs or weights. World Encyclopedia (1 ed. (c) Copyright Oxford University Press, 2021. The Oxford Companion to Australian History (1 rev ed. ), The emperor Charles VI issues a Pragmatic Sanction, declaring that the remaining Habsburg empire can be inherited through the female line, Go to Charles VI (1685–1740) in ), Giovanni Battista Tiepolo begins a series of frescoes to decorate the prince bishop's residence in Würzburg, Go to Tiepolo, Giovanni Battista (1696–1770) in ), England's champion pugilist, the Jewish prize-fighter Daniel Mendoza, publishes The Art of Boxing, Go to pugilist noun in [31] Although still not as accurate as sundials, Greek water clocks became more accurate around 325 BC, and they were adapted to have a face with an hour hand, making the reading of the clock more precise and convenient. A Dictionary of World History (2 ed. ), The intensely dramatic music of Gluck's Orfeo ed Eurydice introduces a much needed reform in the conventions of opera, Go to Gluck, Christoph Willibald (1714–87) in ), Samuel Richardson's Clarissa begins the correspondence that grows into the longest novel in the English language, Go to Clarissa: or The History of a Young Lady in Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed. Bach conducts the first performance of his, Benjamin Franklin prints, publishes and largely writes the weekly, Italian dramatist Carlo Goldoni makes a success of plays in the ancient, American revivalism is inflamed by Jonathan Edwards' vivid sermon, J.S. ), German chemist Georg Stahl coins the name phlogiston for the substance believed to be released in the process of burning, Go to phlogiston theory in ), The empress Catherine the Great annexes the Crimean peninsula, giving Russia a presence in the Black Sea, 20-year-old John Jacob Astor emigrates from Germany to America and sets up in the fur trade, Go to Astor, John Jacob (1763–1848) in A variation on this theme were oil-lamp clocks. [119] The increasing lavishness of castles led to the introduction of turret clocks. Huygens was clearly the first to use a spiral balance spring, the form used in virtually all watches to the present day. ), Beethoven seeks medical advice for a very alarming condition, an increasing deafness, Go to Beethoven, Ludwig van in Ancient dials were nodus-based with straight hour-lines that indicated unequal hours—also called temporary hours—that varied with the seasons. The Oxford Companion to English Literature (7 ed. World Encyclopedia (1 ed. ), The Habsburg emperor Charles VI dies and is succeeded by his elder daughter, the 23-year-old Maria Theresa, Go to Maria Theresa (1717–80) in The Oxford Companion to United States History (1 ed. Later famous horologists included John Arnold who made the first practical and accurate modern watch by refining Harrison's chronometer, Thomas Earnshaw who was the first to make these available to the public, Daniel Quare, who invented a repeating watch movement, a portable barometer and introduced the concentric minute hand. The Oxford Companion to Western Art (1 ed. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 rev ed. One of his candle clocks included a dial to display the time and, for the first time, employed a bayonet fitting, a fastening mechanism still used in modern times. Within a decade, sales of wristwatches had outstripped those of pocket watches.[124]. Take A Sneak Peak At The Movies Coming Out This Week (8/12) New Movie Releases This Weekend: February 12th – February 14th; How Hollywood celebs are celebrating Lunar New Year The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea (2 ed. Like the invention of pendulum clock, Huygens' spiral hairspring (balance spring) system of portable timekeepers, helped lay the foundations for the modern watchmaking industry. ), In the years after the battle of the Boyne, Catholic ownership of land in Ireland is reduced to just 14% of the total, Go to Boyne, Battle of the (1 July 1690) in ), William Withering's Account of the Foxglove describes the use of digitalis for dropsy, and its possible application to heart disease, Go to Withering, William (1741–99) in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 rev ed. ), An earthquake destroys much of Lima, and an ensuing tidal wave engulfs its port at Callao, Go to Lima in A Dictionary of World History (2 ed. The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (3 rev ed. ), The USA becomes the first nation to establish a regular census as a systematic check on the size of the population, Go to census in All these motions were brought about by machinery within the casing, each depending on wheels and shafts, hooks, pins and interlocking rods, stopping devices and locks checking mutually. ), Joshua Reynolds is by now the most fashionable portrait painter in London, copies with as many as 150 sitters in a year, Go to Reynolds, Sir Joshua (1723–92) in For example, some water clocks rang bells and gongs, while others opened doors and windows to show figurines of people, or moved pointers, and dials. ), Joseph Haydn enters the service of the Esterházy family, and stays with them for twenty-nine years, Go to Haydn, Joseph (1732–1809) in It consisted of six candles made from 72 pennyweights of wax, each 12 inches (30 cm) high, and of uniform thickness, marked every inch (2.54 cm). Joseph Needham speculated that the introduction of the outflow clepsydra to China, perhaps from Mesopotamia, occurred as far back as the 2nd millennium BC, during the Shang Dynasty, and at the latest by the 1st millennium BC. ), Britain declares the colonies to be in a state of rebellion, and sets up a naval blockade of the American coastline, Go to American Revolution in [75] The Portuguese navigator Ferdinand Magellan used 18 hourglasses on each ship during his circumnavigation of the globe in 1522. This advance sparked an almost immediate rise in the market for watches, which were now no longer typically worn on a chain around the neck but were carried in a pocket, a wholly new fashion in clothing."[6]. Bach publishes his set of Goldberg Variations, supposedly written for performance by the young harpsichordist Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, Frederick's Prussian army defeats the Austrians at Mollwitz, securing his hold on most of Silesia, American revivalism is inflamed by Jonathan Edwards' vivid sermon Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God, Venice's new theatre, the Teatro Novissimo, has machinery which can change the scenes in the blink of an eye, Go to Venice (Italy, USA) in [36] Pliny the Elder records that the first sundial in Rome arrived in 264 BC, looted from Catania, Sicily; according to him, it gave the incorrect time until the markings and angle appropriate for Rome's latitude were used—a century later. The Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy (2 rev ed. The Oxford Companion to British History (1 rev ed. World Encyclopedia (1 ed. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. The Oxford Companion to British History (1 rev ed. [87] Al-Muradi's clock also employed the use of mercury in its hydraulic linkages,[88][89] which could function mechanical automata. ), The Bank of North America is established by the Continental Congress to lend money to the fledgling Revolutionary government, US poet Philip Freneau describes in The British Prison Ship the horrors of his experiences as a prisoner, Go to Freneau, Philip Morin (1752–1832) in ), On the death of her brother-in-law, William III, Anne becomes queen of England and Scotland, Go to Anne (1665–1714) in The Concise Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church (2 rev ed. Ahmad Y al-Hassan & Donald R. Hill (1986), "Islamic Technology", Cambridge. ), The capture of British go-between John André yields proof that US general Benedict Arnold is in the pay of the British, Go to Arnold, Benedict (1741–1801) in The Oxford Essential Dictionary of the U.S. Military (1 ed. [161] [139] They served a crucial role in spreading and testing the scientific ideas of the period, and collaborated with contemporary scientists, such as Huygens.[138]. These required less power to move, caused less friction and wear, and were more accurate than their shorter predecessors. ), A stranger arrives in Vienna with a mysterious commission for Mozart to write a requiem mass, just months before the composer's death, Go to requiem in The Concise Oxford Companion to English Literature (3 ed. World Encyclopedia (1 ed. Oxford Dictionary of English (3 ed. The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea (2 ed. ), The First Fleet (eleven ships carrying about 750 convicts) leaves Portsmouth for Australia, Go to First Fleet in The Oxford Companion to World Exploration (1 ed. "Timekeeping: The Lifestyle of Accuracy--An Interpretive Essay for the J. Cheney Wells Collection of New England Clocks at Old Sturbridge Village", "Collection No.57.1.117: Tall Case Clock by Benjamin Cheney, Hartford, Connecticut, c. 1760", "Diversity and Regionalism in Rural New England", "Feature: Construction Details of Rittenhouse Compasses", "Early Pennsylvania Clocks and Their Makers", "The Evolution of the Quartz Crystal Clock". A Dictionary of British History (1 rev ed. As smaller seals became more readily available, the clocks grew in popularity among the Chinese, and were often given as gifts. Different powdered incense clocks used different formulations of incense, depending on how the clock was laid out. A Dictionary of British History (1 rev ed. ), The ministers of Louis XVI reluctantly announce that the estates general will meet in 1789, for the first time since 1614, Go to estates general in A Dictionary of World History (2 ed. ), The American Magazine and the General Magazine both begin a short-lived existence, Go to General Magazine, the (1741) in The time was accurately measured by observing certain stars as they crossed the line created with the merkhets.[17][23]. [109] The wheels and gears are mounted in an open, box-like iron frame, measuring about 1.2 metres (3.9 ft) square. The Oxford Companion to United States History (1 ed. ), Thomas Paine publishes his completed Age of Reason, an attack on conventional Christianity, Go to Age of Reason, The in ), Fingal, supposedly by the medieval poet Ossian, is a forgery in the spirit of the times by James MacPherson, Go to Macpherson, James (1736–96) in ), Indian tribes, at peace talks in Fort Greenville, cede much of Ohio to the USA, Go to Greenville, Treaty of in As well as keeping time, the astronomical clock could accurately predict lunar eclipses, and may have shown the Sun, Moon (age, phase, and node), stars and planets, as well as a wheel of fortune, and an indicator of the state of the tide at London Bridge. ), Mozart's opera The Magic Flute has its premiere in Vienna in a popular theatre run by the librettist, Emanuel Shikaneder, Go to Zauberflöte, Die in ), Louis XVI watches through his telescope the first balloon flight with living passengers – a sheep, a cock and a duck, Go to Louis XVI (1754–93) in ), English historian Edward Gibbon, sitting among ruins in Rome, conceives the idea of Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, Go to Gibbon, Edward (1737–94) in The Oxford Companion to Canadian History (1 ed. The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Music (5 ed. Alexander Bain, a Scottish clock and instrument maker, was the first to invent and patent the electric clock in 1840. It measured the passage of time by the shadow cast by its crossbar on a non-linear rule. [106] In the early 14th-century, the Florentine poet Dante Alighieri referred to a clock in his Paradiso;[107] the first known literary reference to a clock that struck the hours. A Dictionary of World History (2 ed. ), The Terror begins in republican France, with executions rising to more than 3000 in December, Go to the Terror in In 1735 Harrison built his first chronometer, which he steadily improved on over the next thirty years before submitting it for examination. A Dictionary of British History (1 rev ed. The Oxford Encyclopedia of Theatre and Performance (1 ed. ), Benjamin Franklin proposes to the Albany Congress that the colonies should unite to form a colonial government, Go to Albany Congress (1754) in A Dictionary of World History (2 ed. ), William Pitt the Elder becomes secretary of state and transforms the British war effort against France in America, Go to Pitt, William, 1st Earl of Chatham (1708–78) in ), Frederick the Great again precipitates a European conflict, marching without warning into Saxony and launching the Seven Years' War, Go to Seven Years War (1756–63) in ), Boston merchant Samuel Sewall publishes The Selling of Joseph, a very early anti-slavery tract, Go to Sewall, Samuel (1652–1730) in ), The election in the USA brings in a Federalist president (John Adams) and a Republican vice-president (Thomas Jefferson), Go to Adams, John (1735–1826) in [123], The concept of the wristwatch goes back to the production of the very earliest watches in the 16th century. ), Poland's neighbours – Russia, Prussia and Austria – are all on hand for the final partition of the kingdom, Go to Poland (and Kiritmati, USA) in German philosopher Immanuel Kant publishes the first of his three 'critiques', Friedrich von Schiller's youthful and anarchic play. Go to ... On the death of his grandfather, George II, George III becomes king of Great Britain ... Delegates in Philadelphia select George Washington as commander-in-chief of the colonial army. World Encyclopedia (1 ed. ), Goethe's play Götz von Berlichingen, a definitive work of Sturm und Drang (Storm and Stress), has its premiere in Berlin, Britain's new Coercive (or Intolerable) Acts include the requirement that Massachusetts citizens give board and lodging to British troops, The Spanish, now in sole occupation of the Falkland Islands, call them Las Islas Malvinas, Encouraged by Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Paine emigrates to America and settles in Philadelphia, Go to Paine, Thomas (1737–1809) in Some even displayed astrological models of the universe. Around 610, this design was trumped by two Sui Dynasty inventors, Geng Xun and Yuwen Kai, who were the first to create the balance clepsydra, with standard positions for the steelyard balance. ), Delegates of the Third Estate swear an oath in a tennis court at Versailles, pledging themselves not to disperse until France has a constitution, Go to Tennis Court Oath in The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature (1 ed. World Encyclopedia (1 ed. ), In a friendly keyboard contest in Rome between Handel and Domenico Scarlatti, the result is a draw – Handel being the winner on the organ and Scarlatti on the harpsichord, Go to Handel, George Frideric (1685–1759) in ), Napoleon marries Josephine de Beauharnais, widow of Alexandre de Beauharnais, guillotined in 1794, Go to Joséphine (1763–1814) in ), Italian sculptor Antonio Canova sets up his studio in Rome and begins producing finely modelled nudes in the Greek style, Go to Canova, Antonio (1757–1822) in Bach completes his, A great French undertaking by Denis Diderot, his 28-volume, Quaker minister John Woolman publishes the first part of, Laurence Sterne publishes the first two volumes of, A British defeat of the French in Quiberon Bay prompts David Garrick to write, A succession of victories cause 1759 to be known in Britain as, Italian anatomist Giovanni Battista Morgagni publishes, English journalist John Wilkes is arrested for publishing seditious libel in issue no 45 of his weekly magazine, A French expedition from St Malo, founding a colony on East Falkland, name the islands, English historian Edward Gibbon, sitting among ruins in Rome, conceives the idea of, English author Horace Walpole provides an early taste of Gothic thrills in his novel, Irish novelist Oliver Goldsmith publishes, A Society of Gentlemen in Scotland begins publication of the immensely successful, The Spanish, now in sole occupation of the Falkland Islands, call them, Figaro makes his first appearance on stage in Beaumarchais', English historian Edward Gibbon publishes the first volume of, Scottish economist Adam Smith analyzes the nature and causes of the.