Enlightenment · Europe · Science

1761

Harrison's H4 Marine Chronometer Tested

1761

John Harrison, a Yorkshire carpenter turned clockmaker, sent his fourth sea-clock - a watch the size of a small plate - on a voyage to Jamaica. It lost five seconds in eighty-one days. For the first time in history, a ship could know its longitude. The Royal Navy withheld the prize for years.

More from 1761 Enlightenment

In context

Also in 1761 (3 other events on record)

Third Battle of Panipat · South Asia · War
Transit of Venus Observed Worldwide · Europe · Science
Rousseau's Julie, or the New Héloïse · Europe · Culture

Before and after in Europe

Before: October 25, 1760: Accession of George III
After: January 5, 1762: Elizabeth of Russia Dies - Prussia Saved

Before and after in Science

Before: 1758: Halley's Comet Returns on Schedule
After: 1764: Hargreaves Invents the Spinning Jenny

Era

Enlightenment (1651–1800), one of 696 events from that era on Saeculum.