Thereβs no such thing as βthe correct timeβ. But there is accurate timekeeping. And since its invention in 1656, the clock has become a vital part of the modern economy.
Thereβs no such thing as βthe correct timeβ. Like the value of money, itβs a convention that derives its usefulness from the widespread acceptance of others. But there is such a thing as accurate timekeeping. That dates from 1656, and a Dutchman named Christiaan Huygens. In the centuries since, as Tim Harford explains, the clock has become utterly essential to almost every area of the modern economy.
Producer: Ben Crighton
Editors: Richard Knight and Richard Vadon
(Image: A wall clock. Credit: Shutterstock)
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Sources and related links
Ralph Harrington
What the railways did for us, Stuart Hylton, Amberley Publishing Limited, 2015
Exeter Memories:
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Jeremy NormanβsΒ HistoryofInformation.com:
The Atlantic:
timeanddate.com:
Project MUSE:
The Atlantic:
βPCWorld from IDG:
The Conversation:
WIRED:
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50 Things That Made the Modern Economy
The stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which helped create the economic world
