![]() Wielding knowledge like a sword, Benjamin Banneker was many things – inventor, scientist, anti-slavery proponent – and, as a result, his legacy lives on to this day. Using his meticulous memory, Banneker was able to recreate the plans. Appointed to the three-man team by president George Washington, Banneker wound up saving the project when the lead architect quit in a fury – taking all the plans with him. Impressed by his abilities, Jefferson recommended Banneker to be a part of a surveying team to lay out Washington, D.C. Benjamin compiled and published his Almanac and Ephemeris of Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland (he would publish the journal annually for over a decade), and even sent a copy to secretary of state Thomas Jefferson along with a letter urging the abolition of slavery. The longcase clock, commonly known since 1876 as the grandfather clock (after a song by American Henry Clay Work), began to emerge as one of the most popular English styles. In the early 1790s, Banneker added another job title to his resume – author. Putting his newfound knowledge to use, Banneker accurately predicted a 1789 solar eclipse. Borrowing books on astronomy and mathematics from a friend, Benjamin engorged himself in the subjects. Bell’s father and grandfather engaged in a speech development program known as elocution, and as a result, Bell was inspired to study communication and speech. He came up with and patented the first practical telephone. As the result of the attention his self-made clock received, Banneker was able to start up his own watch and clock repair business.Īnd Benjamin Banneker's accomplishments didn't end there. Born on March 3, 1847, Alexander Graham Bell was an inventor, scientist, and innovator. The clock was amazingly precise, and would keep on ticking for decades. After returning the watch, he created a fully functioning clock entirely out of carved wooden pieces. Sometime in the early 1750s, Benjamin borrowed a pocket watch from a wealthy acquaintance, took the watch apart and studied its components. As a result of Banneker's innovation, the farm flourished – even during droughts.īut it was his clock invention that really propelled the reputation of Benjamin Banneker. At 15 he took over the farm and invented an irrigation system to control water flow to the crops from nearby springs. But most of his advanced knowledge came from reading, reading and more reading. The son of former slaves, Benjamin worked on the family tobacco farm and received some early education from a Quaker school. Like a lot of early inventors, Benjamin Banneker was primarily self-taught. Who is the father of the clock?Įven though many inventors were reported to have made the clock, English clockmaker Thomas Tompion is regarded as the father of English clock making.In the Stevie Wonder song "Black Man," the Motown marvel sings of Benjamin Banneker: "first clock to be made in America was created by a black man." Though the song is a fitting salute to a great inventor (and African Americans in general), it only touches on the genius of Benjamin Banneker and the many hats he wore – as a farmer, mathematician, astronomer, author and land surveyor. Peter Henlein, a German from Nuremberg, was believed to have invented the first portable clock, which was powered by a spring mechanism.Īccording to watch experts, this was the first accurate watch to be made. While Galileo was credited with the idea of using a swinging bob to track time and regulating motion, the invention was credited to Christian Huygens, who patented the invention. ![]() Frequently asked questions Who invented the clock first? Today, the watch industry has many fancy watches with unique functionalities. The launch of quartz watches in 1969 brought about a massive revolution in the watch industry.īecause quartz watches removed all mechanical components and replaced them with a battery, they were a lot cheaper.Īlso, quartz watches were loved because they were more accurate and required no cleaning or oiling to keep them functioning optimally. Though electric watches had hands that moved mechanically, they come with a balance wheel powered by solenoid. Thanks to modern technology and advancement in watchmaking, the watch industry witnessed the launch of electric watches in the 1950s. An African American named Benjamin Banneker invented the clock around the year 1750 when he was just 21 years old. Though the first stopwatch was initially invented in the 1770s, it wasn’t until the 1930s before the watch industry witnessed the first stopwatch launch, which the Breitling Watch Company patented.Īlthough the chronograph was quite similar to a stopwatch, the chronograph featured impressive tech that allowed it to measure time while also recording time increments. This spurred the development of what was later known as the Santos wristwatch.
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