Time story

                                                             Time Story

Now days, we work according to the time needles. They make us move and regulate our life cycle. We have clocks to see the time and modern clocks are well organized and portable to aware about time anywhere in the world. But a question arises how people in the past measure the time and how they manage the time. For example, today we tell other the exact time to meet and what time we are available, so how the people in the past tell other this time when clocks has not been invented. Another question why we divide the clock in 24 hours and 12 hours, also how is AM and PM concept aroused.

                                                                   

clock

Sundials:

In Ancient Egypt, they use sundial to measure the time. Theodosius of Bithynia is said to invent the sundial. It has a stick or bar standing at the center, around this a circle was made shadow of stick tell the time. Numbers were also mark on the ground indicate the hours. At noon, when the sun is exactly at the center of sky the stick shadow is aligned which indicate the noon mean ‘midday’. Later on it gave the concept of AM and PM Latin words in which AM stand for ‘ante meridiem’ means ‘before midday’ and PM stand for ‘post meridiem’ means ‘after midday’. 12 hours concept is not known but scientists thought it may be according to the joints of fingers used in ancient time to count the hours in a day and in night they count the time according to specific stars according to scientist they were 12 and some says they were 24.

                                                                 

sundials clock

Water Clock:

As sundial used sunlight and shadow for time, so it can’t tell the time at night and in cloudy weather. Around 325 BC Greeks start using water clocks to keep time and they called it as clepsydras mean water thief. It was made of two pots, where one pot filled with water and had a hole below and other one was below this so water dropped down there from hole. The pot placed above has a scale for hours mark on it. At the same, china made a clock on the same pattern but they used mercury instead of water because water freeze in winter.    

water clock

Sand clock:

French Monk invented first sand clock in 8th century. It is also called hour glass because it tells the hours. It had two glass bulb connected via tube and sand start flowing from one side to other. When all sand moved to second bulb it means the 1 hour has been passed and it rotated to other side.

                                                                         

sand clock

Candle-clock:

After water clock later on in England around 900 year, Alfred the great, king of Wessex invented candle-clock. The 12 inches of candle was used and had a scale marked on it with 12 lines. Candle blow at night, as the time passed it started melting. The scale marked on it tells what the time is. Later on a pendulum was also used for hours but its speed change with wind so it was not accurate and much reliable then the other.

candle-clock

Elephant-clock:

In 13th century, Al Jazari made an elephant-clock on the wish of Sultan at that time. At that time, Islam is spreading rapidly in central Asia so this clock was a mixture of many cultures to show the universal diversity of Islam. Al Jazari used Greek and Indian water concept of clock, Indian elephant, Egyptian sparrow, Persian carpet Chinese dragon and present time sultan as a respectful leader in its design. It was the first clock where robotics used and its model still present in Dubai. It has concept of minute and represent 30 minutes and dial had 30 balls which how many hours has been passed. After every 30 minutes one ball from top drop and a bowl drown in the water present inside the elephant body come up and again started filling with water. It designed in such a way that in every 30 minute it drowns and a minute needle complete its round, also a flute sound heard. The balls were filled at sun rise and sun set.

Elephant-clock

Present clock history:

In 14th century, Henry Devika first invented wheel clock but it has only hour needle. It was in a very big size so couldn’t carry from one place to other. Today clock was thought based on this concept. In 1577 Jost Burgi invented minute needle in clock to measure time more precisely. In 1671 Daniel Quare introduced second needle in clock. They were big in size that clock tower constructed in city for everyone could see time like one clock tower is still present in Faisalabad. As the time passed it size got reduced and now present form has been invented. In 1956, a watchmaker D.E Protzmann established first digital clock.

Present day clock