The longitude problem: history's deadliest riddle

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  • Опубликовано: 27 июл 2021
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Комментарии • 2,3 тыс.

  • @Aiterior
    @Aiterior 2 года назад +6966

    I hope that one day you open by saying “we’re the map and here’s the men”

    • @Aostrele
      @Aostrele 2 года назад +46

      Yes

    • @clipscompilations4442
      @clipscompilations4442 2 года назад +442

      Or We’re the men, but where’s the map?

    • @alexj1295
      @alexj1295 2 года назад +5

      Yes

    • @Leron...
      @Leron... 2 года назад +182

      @@clipscompilations4442 The real map was the friendships they made along the way...

    • @kriijan3747
      @kriijan3747 2 года назад +191

      Men map, men map, men men, men map map.

  • @aidanfarmer2045
    @aidanfarmer2045 2 года назад +4870

    That Tiktok joke was utterly rancid and I love it

    • @markcooper-jones7494
      @markcooper-jones7494 2 года назад +570

      It was wasn't it? It was Jay's - I hated it as much as I loved it.

    • @snsayy
      @snsayy 2 года назад +9

      XD best joke ever

    • @andreilin113
      @andreilin113 2 года назад +50

      @@markcooper-jones7494 are you- wait...

    • @ieatcatpisslololololol1441
      @ieatcatpisslololololol1441 2 года назад +27

      @@markcooper-jones7494 i assume that he’s forcing you to say this , so we can just say that you hated it

    • @olegbbbuu
      @olegbbbuu 2 года назад +2

      I dunno why but I thought of tic tac at first

  • @ClockworksOfGL
    @ClockworksOfGL 2 года назад +5632

    Clock repairer here: It’s difficult to comprehend John Harrison’s brilliance, especially since he came from a humble family of bell hangers. He developed the caged ball bearing and the bimetallic spring, inventions we all use all day, every day. He also created the gridiron pendulum (which compensates for temperature fluctuations) and the grasshopper escapement (which requires no oil). Harrison’s “wooden” clocks used a hard, self-lubricating wood called “lingum vitae” on the bearing surfaces. The old (paraphrased) saying “Show me the perfect bearing and I’ll build you the perfect clock” was especially true in the 1700s, when oils were terrible at best. Just by doing this, he got around the problem of lubrication, at least one of his timepieces has been running without a drop of oil since it was made. I spend my days dealing with oil and consequences of bad oil. If you don’t lube your clock every few years, it will wear our. Using synthetic oil buys extra time, but it’s still a maintenance item. Most folks don’t do this, so now they’re looking at cleaning, pivot polishing and bushings and all that jazz. If Harrison’s designs really took off, I’d be out of a job, maybe I should be thankful his genius was ignored. He’s right up there with Stephenson and Brunel, maybe even Newton.

    • @ZekeGraal
      @ZekeGraal 2 года назад +63

      We deal with oiling issues on typewriters as well. Chief among which are: previous owners who believe that WD40 is a lubricant first and foremost. Oh yes, it will work for a bit, and then gum up everything. Something I'm sure you are well aware of! Thankfully, the clock-springs and escapements are usually pretty robust on typewriters, thanks mostly to the fact that they don't have to be as precise as those in a timepiece!

    • @ALifeOfWine
      @ALifeOfWine 2 года назад +148

      So what you're telling me is I should start up a wooden watch making company?

    • @AllonsyRapunzel
      @AllonsyRapunzel 2 года назад +303

      Bellringer here: It makes so much sense that he has bell hanging roots! What is almost always in a church tower other than bells? Clocks! He must have seen a variety of clocks from an early age and part of the job sometimes would be connecting the bells to the clock if it had a strike train. Often the church would have the only clock in the village. I've learnt quite a bit about clocks just by being in a church tower all my life.

    • @AllonsyRapunzel
      @AllonsyRapunzel 2 года назад +126

      Also makes sense that he invented ball bearings. Plain bearings are awful to ring on and require a lot of maintenance. We often ring for 3 hours non stop. On plain bearings, this means it all gets considerably tougher the longer you ring!

    • @ClockworksOfGL
      @ClockworksOfGL 2 года назад +85

      @@AllonsyRapunzel - Plain bearings are fine if they’re maintained, but they never are. That’s why they’re banned from railroads. All it takes is one maintenance slip-up and then you have an axle fire or even worse.

  • @DYWYPI
    @DYWYPI 2 года назад +1589

    "Died on the same day he was born" sounds a lot more poetic and noble and exciting than "died on his birthday".

    • @wholeNwon
      @wholeNwon 2 года назад +41

      Well, neonatal mortality was quite high in those days.

    • @distinctloafer
      @distinctloafer 2 года назад +6

      That's an englishmen for you.

    • @wholeNwon
      @wholeNwon 2 года назад +5

      @@distinctloafer -man

    • @ulfberht4431
      @ulfberht4431 Год назад +1

      Or simply, “poetic irony!”

    • @THTB_lol
      @THTB_lol Год назад +4

      i mean it is the correct phrase because of the switch from the julian to gregorian calendar

  • @PopeLando
    @PopeLando 2 года назад +4888

    Although John Harrison died on the same calendar date that he was born, he was born under the Julian calendar and died under the Gregorian, so technically 11 days short of 83 years old when he died.

    • @SpiceLettuce
      @SpiceLettuce 2 года назад +617

      Yeah but it’s cooler to say he died on the same day he was born so just ignore that

    • @hosephanerothe1440
      @hosephanerothe1440 2 года назад +261

      *shuffles under carpet*

    • @RupeeRhod
      @RupeeRhod 2 года назад +641

      So what you say is he accounted for the change to still land on the same day, even if a full 83 years hadn't elapsed.
      What a mad man.

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 2 года назад +152

      He accounted for the difference in time zones.

    • @bakedbeanishdragon
      @bakedbeanishdragon 2 года назад +31

      Boooooooo *throws tomatoes*

  • @Julio974
    @Julio974 2 года назад +3651

    Now we’re expecting the intros to be weird, so you should do a perfectly classic intro next time just to mess with us

    • @JayForeman
      @JayForeman  2 года назад +1601

      Way ahead of you!

    • @steveb9542
      @steveb9542 2 года назад +85

      Eh they kinda already did that, at least as far as the theme tune is concerned.

    • @imveryangryitsnotbutter
      @imveryangryitsnotbutter 2 года назад +332

      @@JayForeman Separate the instrumental and the vocals. Play only the instrumental during the intro. Later at a random point in the video, insert the vocals.

    • @Deathhead68
      @Deathhead68 2 года назад +37

      @@JayForeman I like it when you do 'map men' theme with lots of extra maps and mens

    • @emiliorescigno
      @emiliorescigno 2 года назад +60

      Men Map Men Map Men Men Men Map
      Map

  • @TheNathRob
    @TheNathRob 2 года назад +675

    Sounds like Shovell dug his own grave...

    • @christianalbertjahns2577
      @christianalbertjahns2577 2 года назад +4

      Your comment is very brilliant

    • @Loreman72
      @Loreman72 2 года назад +2

      Oh, shut up! 😄

    • @WillsRailfanning
      @WillsRailfanning 2 года назад +2

      This needs more likes

    • @gilroymenezes1558
      @gilroymenezes1558 Год назад +3

      Ba dum tss

    • @OleeveeyaChakraborty
      @OleeveeyaChakraborty 19 дней назад

      @@gilroymenezes1558 Oh my god, RUclips's translator wants to translate your comment which is already written in English, to English and say "Ba stupid tss". The translated comment goes to Translator...brave idea translator!

  • @joshuarosen6242
    @joshuarosen6242 2 года назад +2330

    For anyone who is interested, £20,000 in 1714 is almost exactly £4m today. Also, Longitude is a very interesting book.

    • @epicjoyfulcreations4580
      @epicjoyfulcreations4580 2 года назад +84

      £3,994,609.36 to be exact. Or $5,498,575.79 in USD. Or $6,941,319.60 in CAD.

    • @karu6111
      @karu6111 2 года назад +41

      jesus, that joke had me legit bursting in laughter

    • @_Ekaros
      @_Ekaros 2 года назад +24

      @@epicjoyfulcreations4580 A bit more time and it's exactly 4 million pounds...

    • @kcgunesq
      @kcgunesq 2 года назад +52

      Of course, wages don't really convert simply by adjusting for inflation. In the mid-1700s, in London, skilled tradesman would have likely made around 1 pound sterling a week. So 20,000 pounds was 400 years wages for a skilled tradesman, which would convert to about $24,000,000.
      Put another way, HMS Victory cost around 60,000 pounds sterling and it was a flagship naval vessel.

    • @MrCookie710
      @MrCookie710 2 года назад +4

      @@epicjoyfulcreations4580 Whats that in € ? :P

  • @MedlifeCrisis
    @MedlifeCrisis 2 года назад +7296

    There's a wonderful TV mini series with Jeremy Irons and Michael Gambon called 'Longitude'. Sadly only a low res version is available on RUclips but you can buy it for less than £20,000+inflation. Highly recommended!

    • @Pope_Balenciaga
      @Pope_Balenciaga 2 года назад +114

      @TommyInnit 🅥 thanks buddy

    • @JayForeman
      @JayForeman  2 года назад +1767

      Stephen Fry's performance as the man promoting the stabbed dog method is hilarous!

    • @smeetsnoud1
      @smeetsnoud1 2 года назад +27

      @TommyInnit 🅥 just an absolute Chad, doing an absolutely Chad thing

    • @thanksfernuthin
      @thanksfernuthin 2 года назад +10

      I concur. It's a great story expertly told.

    • @zawadulhoque4511
      @zawadulhoque4511 2 года назад +18

      @@ullasjoseph4502 what link

  • @yuvalne
    @yuvalne 2 года назад +794

    "Which in today's money is £20000 plus inflation"
    That's why I love this series

    • @adsasori
      @adsasori 2 года назад +11

      It's worth like 4.5 million pounds

    • @takers786
      @takers786 2 года назад +6

      @@adsasori close, it’s £3,994,609.36 according to the Bank of England website

    • @adsasori
      @adsasori 2 года назад +5

      @@takers786 different sites different measurements yours probably right

    • @matt-66
      @matt-66 2 года назад

      I think "20000 times inflation" would have been a little more accurate

  • @sophia-helenemeesdetricht1957
    @sophia-helenemeesdetricht1957 2 года назад +872

    Navy sailor here: On the plus side, with digital engine readouts for speed and digital (read: inertial) compasses, dead reckoning is WAY more accurate than when this was done with a knotted rope and a shoddy magnetic compass. Navigating on an ever shifting seemingly-infinite flat-on-a-good-day featureless non-euclidean plane is always going to be a problem, complicated by drift but if GPS fails, we can still get a rough sense of where we are. This is something we had to practice, like kinda all the time. They'd make us compare our dead reckoning track on the chart with the quartermaster's astronomically-ascertained position every half hour and I could typically get us within a few miles.

    • @gamemeister27
      @gamemeister27 2 года назад +4

      Which Navy?

    • @sophia-helenemeesdetricht1957
      @sophia-helenemeesdetricht1957 2 года назад +14

      @@gamemeister27 US Navy!

    • @doctorkilombo1406
      @doctorkilombo1406 2 года назад +16

      ... and doing dead reckoning (or astronomic navigation) is always a good hobby if you are bored while sailing (the intellectual part of my brain loves the challenge)

    • @Freedom2FlyDrones
      @Freedom2FlyDrones Год назад

      Is there any other kind of sailor then? Because I thought all sailors were navy, either military or civilian
      Military is HMS, US, CHMS, AHMS, RDN,
      Or civilian
      Merchant Navy, SS, RMS
      My point is they are ALL navy sailors so why say NAVY sailor?
      Is there a AIRLINE sailor?
      If you meant your nation military then specify it as Royal, US Canadian, Dutch, French Navy which would negate 1, the need to say "sailor" and 2, clear up what branch of "NAVY" you are referring too.

    • @gamemeister27
      @gamemeister27 Год назад +25

      @@Freedom2FlyDrones don't be a pedant

  • @vladsnape6408
    @vladsnape6408 2 года назад +227

    In regard to the sailor that tried to warn Admiral Shovell, Wikipedia says "While it is possible that a sailor may have debated the vessel's location and feared for its fate, such debates were common upon entering the English Channel, as noted by Samuel Pepys in 1684. Naval historians have repeatedly discredited the story, noting the lack of any evidence in contemporary documents, its fanciful stock conventions and dubious origins.However, the myth was revived in 1997 when author Dava Sobel presented it as an unqualified truth in her book Longitude."

    • @lutzderlurch7877
      @lutzderlurch7877 Год назад +6

      Thank you

    • @HolySoliDeoGloria
      @HolySoliDeoGloria 9 месяцев назад +5

      Thank you! Ugh, will everyone please stop propagating this slanderous myth?!?!

    • @flitsertheo
      @flitsertheo 8 месяцев назад +15

      Would there have been enough time for a hanging between the sailor reporting his findings and the ships crashing into the rocks ? As an "on the spot" hanging would have been very unusual for the British navy, there would have been a short trial first, then the "ceremony" of the hanging. All taking time.

    • @ArakkoaChronicles
      @ArakkoaChronicles 7 месяцев назад +10

      As entertaining as Map Men videos are, I see these comments - or check the facts myself - and often find them to be a complete fabrication. It really makes me put the whole channel in serious doubt. This video might just be the straw that broke the camel's back.

    • @wotireckon
      @wotireckon 4 месяца назад

      Maybe so, but the story adds controversy and humour; and we all know that that's much more interesting than mere facts.

  • @pittofdoom
    @pittofdoom 2 года назад +728

    That “moving the goalposts” joke was top-notch.

    • @Neonthon
      @Neonthon 2 года назад +7

      I'm lost, care to explain?

    • @Hand-in-Shot_Productions
      @Hand-in-Shot_Productions 2 года назад +4

      Watched that part a second time, and I found that quite funny too!

    • @SenoraCardgage
      @SenoraCardgage 2 года назад +8

      Thanks for the explanation, I couldn’t figure out what in the heck that part was about!

    • @lukedaniel7669
      @lukedaniel7669 2 года назад +5

      Agreed, though Maskelin (sp?) is not really the baddie the Longitude book makes him out to be. Although Harrison's chronometers were extremely accurate they were expensive and tricky to use on a pitching ship. Maskelin's tables were accurate enough, could be published cheaply decades in advance and were usable by anyone who could read.

    • @ribbonsofnight
      @ribbonsofnight 2 года назад

      @@lukedaniel7669 I don't see how any accusation of difficulty of using something on a pitching ship isn't true of Maskelin's idea. I don't see how a method of lunar observation could be made foolproof either.

  • @vaclav_fejt
    @vaclav_fejt 2 года назад +656

    I hope "End of the Movie" will be on Jay's upcoming "Songs that Sound Like but Aren't the Beatles' Songs Album" album.

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 2 года назад +55

      He is very good at writing songs that sound like but aren't the Beatles' songs, isn't he?

    • @JayForeman
      @JayForeman  2 года назад +111

      ruclips.net/video/wiX8SmqYWyI/видео.html

    • @Xatzimi
      @Xatzimi 2 года назад +50

      @@vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 Hell, he even looks like a Beatle that isn't a Beatle

    • @blurds
      @blurds 2 года назад +2

      Will it beeee, will it be, will it beee, will it beee.

    • @MolloyPolloy
      @MolloyPolloy 2 года назад +6

      @@blurds Come back, Elaine Rugby, id like to shake your hand, yellow subway sandwich.... all the classics.

  • @amazing_svp_all
    @amazing_svp_all 2 года назад +36

    “Can I have a go at your hammer”
    “Bang bang bang bang bang bang”
    I laughed so hard...

  • @realnoahsimpson
    @realnoahsimpson 2 года назад +33

    the TikTok reference at 4:00 is 1 of the most hilarious and genius things I’ve ever seen!

  • @acasualcactus5878
    @acasualcactus5878 2 года назад +324

    Sir Cloudsey Shovell sounds like the name of a villain in a children’s program.

    • @martonkormendy6150
      @martonkormendy6150 2 года назад +1

      There's actually a band with that name, too

    • @blitzy99
      @blitzy99 2 года назад +2

      You're close, the villain would actually be Shovelly McShovellface.

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 2 года назад

      Looks like one, too.

    • @timothymclean
      @timothymclean 2 года назад +1

      Or Shovel Knight's evil sky pirate cousin.

    • @grantbmilburn
      @grantbmilburn 2 года назад +1

      The name was the inspiration for Clodsley Shovel, a talking gardening mole in the Chronicles of Narnia.

  • @awesomefajitas
    @awesomefajitas 2 года назад +826

    when I was around 10 or so, I went to your “songs for rotten kids” show in edinburgh, and bought both cds and listened to them on repeat. about 3 years ago i discovered your youtube channel. I am now 17, and hearing “end of the movie” at the end of this video brought back a wave of memories. Thank you Jay Foreman

    • @Nooticus
      @Nooticus 2 года назад +15

      Awesome story :)

    • @nob2243
      @nob2243 2 года назад +29

      @@nainatalwar8050 How about no

  • @colinpovey2904
    @colinpovey2904 2 года назад +70

    H1, H2, H3 and H4 are all at the Royal Greenwich Observatory, in the eastern outskirts of London. H1, H2, and H3 are all kept running, and show amazing precision. H4 does not run, as it depends upon oil for lubrication, so every tick wears it out just a little bit.
    The book by Dava Sobel is beyond good, it is a superb story.

  • @gdclemo
    @gdclemo 2 года назад +35

    Maskelyne might be the villain here but the story of the Schiehallion experiment when he weighed a mountain in Scotland, then used that to weigh the Earth, is fascinating... they also invented contour lines in the process, so it's sort of map related.

  • @5thearth
    @5thearth 2 года назад +824

    The problem of longitude would eventually contribute to Charles Babbage's Difference Engine, the precursor to modern computers. Longitude by lunar observation required the use of tables of logarithms, which were calculated and typeset by hand, making them prone to potentially dangerous errors. The Difference Engine (as designed) would not only calculate the tables perfectly, it also had an attached machine for turning those results directly into printing plates, eliminating all sources of human error.

    • @AgentAileron
      @AgentAileron 2 года назад +4

      An attached what? We need to know!

    • @jeremylakeman
      @jeremylakeman 2 года назад +28

      @@AgentAileron Babbage never built it, but one has now been made from his design ruclips.net/video/BlbQsKpq3Ak/видео.html

    • @AgentAileron
      @AgentAileron 2 года назад +4

      Ooo, that's cool
      Cheers for sharing

    • @chrismorris294
      @chrismorris294 2 года назад +1

      Good cut and paste job but not really relevant to determining longitude....

    • @midshipman8654
      @midshipman8654 2 года назад

      really interesting!

  • @dillonbuffington303
    @dillonbuffington303 2 года назад +375

    That child spinning the clock and saying "weeee!" really is art. It should be in a museum.

  • @saiyajedi
    @saiyajedi 2 года назад +87

    Having the part of Adm. Shovell played by an actual shovel with googly eyes and a bicorne hat was a stroke of genius.

    • @kashiichan
      @kashiichan 2 года назад +6

      "Yes, Cloudesley Shovel was his real name. No, he wasn't really a shovel with googly eyes."

  • @mohamedak2648
    @mohamedak2648 2 года назад +161

    Oh no! Nevil Maskelyne slander!
    This episode deserves a follow up in the style of "Extra History: Lies" because Dava Sobel's book is very, very unfair to Nevil Maskelyne.
    1. The lunar distance method supported by Maskelyne worked and is the basis for The Nautical Almanac, which is still published to this day.
    2. Maskelyne never submitted a method to try and win the prize, but did support awarding a partial prize to Tobias Mayer for his calculation of lunar tables.
    3. The sextant is still used to this day to calculate longitude using lunar distance, in case electronic timekeepers fail.
    4. Maskelyne was not against timekeepers. He supported the watchmaker John Arnold in developing a copy of Harrison's H4 that could be produced in large quantities at a cheaper cost, to support the Admiralty.
    (John Arnold did better than a copy, he added innovations of his own design that simplified the H4 to make it cheaper and easier to produce, and make it more accurate.)

    • @dominateeye
      @dominateeye 2 года назад +15

      Ah, but was he against _Yorkshiremen?_

    • @MasonGreenWeed
      @MasonGreenWeed 2 года назад +1

      @@dominateeye they're Yorkshireman

    • @qwertyTRiG
      @qwertyTRiG 2 года назад +5

      Arnold also made the time lady's watch. Both Citation Needed and Futility Closet have good episodes about her.

    • @tooleyheadbang4239
      @tooleyheadbang4239 Год назад +2

      Nevil Maskelyne was at his best when he collaborated with David Devant.
      I have the book they jointly wrote, "Our Magic".

    • @mohamedak2648
      @mohamedak2648 Год назад +1

      @@tooleyheadbang4239 Interesting man, but I am speaking about a different Maskelyne.

  • @Spencer481
    @Spencer481 2 года назад +209

    I've read the Story of Shovell hanging a sailer who questioned his navigation skills was actually made up in the 19th century, coming from a local Scilly myth that came about a couple of years after the disaster that a Native sailor to the Isles was punished for saying he recognized the waters but was instead ignored and punished but not hanged. All 800 hands and Shovell were lost when ship HMS Association sank quickly after running aground, no contemporary record of any such sailor existing or being punished or hanged exist.
    Edit: grammer

    • @skullsaintdead
      @skullsaintdead 2 года назад +4

      Interesting, though strangely you've used the wrong grammar which amused me. That theory would make sense too though.

    • @Spencer481
      @Spencer481 2 года назад +3

      No one dare like this, 69 likes forever pls

    • @flamencoprof
      @flamencoprof 2 года назад +7

      It stands to reason that if all hands were lost there was nobody to relate the story. Liked, so there.

    • @iain3482
      @iain3482 2 года назад +7

      Also, they struck rocks not because they didn't know the longitude, but because they got the latitude wrong. They were further north than they should have been to safely sail into the Channel.

    • @yamyrm3687
      @yamyrm3687 2 года назад +4

      Ironically it’s spelled grammar not grammer

  • @goodlookingcorpse
    @goodlookingcorpse 2 года назад +76

    1:24 This is the origin of the famous quote "Let us not go there--it is a Scilly place".

    • @kellywelz5398
      @kellywelz5398 2 года назад +2

      Where the sailors coming back from a quest for the Grail?

    • @mattbartley2843
      @mattbartley2843 2 года назад +2

      It's just a model!
      Shhhhh!

    • @plumjet0930
      @plumjet0930 10 месяцев назад +1

      @@kellywelz5398Yes, unfortunately they were stopped by French soldiers and the police

  • @qingyangzhang6093
    @qingyangzhang6093 2 года назад +123

    In Maskelyne's defense, he did develop a cheaper method that worked for less demanding circumstances (using only a sextant rather than a £300+inflation watch), albeit not as accurate as Harrison's.
    And he was the first person to measure the mass of the earth accurately!

    • @anabsolutemess8850
      @anabsolutemess8850 2 года назад +6

      Actually, in 240 BCE Eratosthenes had done the same, albeit slightly less accurately

    • @Qmeister044
      @Qmeister044 2 года назад +9

      @@anabsolutemess8850 As far as I can find, Eratosthenes measured and calculated the circumference of the Earth, not its mass.

    • @eliparker7151
      @eliparker7151 2 года назад +1

      @@anabsolutemess8850 Didn't Eratosthenes measure Earth's circumference, not mass? Or did he do both?

    • @sydhenderson6753
      @sydhenderson6753 11 месяцев назад

      More accurately than Henry Cavendish?

    • @beardedchimp
      @beardedchimp 7 месяцев назад

      @@sydhenderson6753 from what I remember Cavendish came decades later giving a far more accurate figure and advanced physics in a myriad of other ways. However it was the earlier experiment that first provided a reasonably accurate Earth mass.

  • @RichardMaw
    @RichardMaw 2 года назад +19

    6:22 best joke.

  • @johnf.kennedy343
    @johnf.kennedy343 2 года назад +36

    2:08 If anybody is wondering how much that money would be now, it would be £3,994,609 or $5,554,503

  • @ArtemyMusha
    @ArtemyMusha 2 года назад +148

    Ooh, Encarta. Now that's a name I have not heard in a long, long time.

    • @hebl47
      @hebl47 2 года назад +5

      Wow, we think alike, lol. And you beat me by a couple of minutes.

    • @imveryangryitsnotbutter
      @imveryangryitsnotbutter 2 года назад +9

      Ah yes, the Wikipedia before Wikipedia existed.

    • @gimmetreefiddy891
      @gimmetreefiddy891 2 года назад +1

      Of all the content in the video, this too was the one I was going to comment about.

  • @4thalt
    @4thalt 2 месяца назад +2

    3:59 Besides the TikTok reference, I loved the little thing about how when you draw a clock and you put too much space between the numbers early on so you have to pack in the last numbers.

  • @Freedom2FlyDrones
    @Freedom2FlyDrones Год назад +4

    I don't see anyone pointing out to you guys *_Map Men_***, that at **0:15** that is *NOT* a picture/drawing/illustration of a clock.
    It is in fact a *Watch* more specifically, a turn of the century (20th) gentleman's pocket watch.
    As is evident by the watch chain hoop at the tip of the watch and face cover (lid) hinge to the left of the watch face (9 o'clock position).
    All that being said please continue gentlemen!

  • @joreck
    @joreck 2 года назад +160

    am a watchmaking apprentice. the precision of watches used for navigation is insane.
    it is disappointing that there is no more demand for them though - mechanical watches are still popular, but some complications just aren't really needed anymore.

    • @highpath4776
      @highpath4776 2 года назад +1

      Hasnt GPS moved due to variations in earths wobble etc ?

    • @christofferhjelte
      @christofferhjelte 2 года назад +1

      A quartz wristwatch doesnt do the trick?

    • @mattbartley2843
      @mattbartley2843 2 года назад +9

      @@christofferhjelte Depends on which one.
      The watch that I had that broke down on me recently, ran fast by about 1 second per day.
      The watch I've used since has drifted by only about 10 seconds in the past 2 months.
      They all are temperature sensitive unless held at constant (hot) temperature: oven controlled crystal oscillator. Typically 75 Celsius. I doubt any wristwatches actually do that.

    • @JonatasAdoM
      @JonatasAdoM 2 года назад +1

      @@mattbartley2843 And most qartz watches are Chinese, so you can't even tell if they're actu ally quartz.

    • @tylisirn
      @tylisirn 2 года назад +4

      @@JonatasAdoM If it's cheap, it's definitely quartz, because it's actually cheaper than alternatives. Non quartz watches require more components in their movements, so they start at a higher price.

  • @frankhan8993
    @frankhan8993 2 года назад +198

    I'm calling my clock "chronometer" from now

    • @bertrach
      @bertrach 2 года назад +7

      I call mine Chronopeter. :P

    • @090giver090
      @090giver090 2 года назад +4

      You can't unless COSC allows you to :Е

    • @BadWebDiver
      @BadWebDiver 2 года назад +6

      But that only works if the clock is made in regional France. Otherwise it's just a "sparkling timepiece".

    • @nainatalwar8050
      @nainatalwar8050 2 года назад

      🟡 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE, HE ALSO MAKES JOURNALISTIC CONTENT LIKE JAY ON U-TUBE🟡

    • @SeanMacadelic
      @SeanMacadelic 2 года назад

      All watches/clocks are chronometers

  • @paulquincey
    @paulquincey 9 месяцев назад +7

    When Captain Cook navigated his way to Tahiti for the Transit of Venus in 1769, he used lunar tables prepared by Nevil Maskelyne, and he didn’t have a chronometer. So the ‘lunar distance’ method worked well, to the extent that £3,300 was paid to the people who developed it at the same time as Harrison was promised his £20,000. Unfortunately Dava Sobel treated Maskelyne as a pantomime villain because it made a good story.

  • @boo453
    @boo453 2 года назад +10

    You forgot the story of Harrison's 6th watch which was found by 2 market traders in the mid 90s and sold at auction for £6.2mil

  • @cristianrobertradulescu5690
    @cristianrobertradulescu5690 2 года назад +56

    I work at the Royal Observatory! So happy that you got to talk about the chronometers that reside within it!

    • @stefanfranke5651
      @stefanfranke5651 2 года назад +6

      So give them back already! You spilled enough tea over them. :(

    • @nainatalwar8050
      @nainatalwar8050 2 года назад

      ⚾ SERCH ADITYA RATHORE, HE ALSO MAKES JOURNALISTIC CONTENT LIKE JAY ON U-TUBE⚾

  • @MrInsomniac19
    @MrInsomniac19 2 года назад +66

    And a little over 200 years after his death his watch made it way to 2 brothers in Peckham who when they sold it at auction became millionaires

    • @Momo_1412
      @Momo_1412 2 года назад +5

      Haha was hoping for this in the video

    • @hairyairey
      @hairyairey 2 года назад +3

      @@Momo_1412 Would be amazing if H6 ever did show up. No mention of H5 in the video either.

  • @alexray230
    @alexray230 2 года назад +11

    0:37 "kind of like the triwizard tournament except no, not at all"

  • @Hollywood2021
    @Hollywood2021 2 года назад +10

    I am so proud to have come from a long line of seamen...those early days of exploration must have been long and hard

  • @sypialnia_studio
    @sypialnia_studio 2 года назад +57

    This channel shoud get the no. 1 prize in british humor competition. Delightful to learn from such witty storytellers.

  • @igorcalixtodasilva56
    @igorcalixtodasilva56 2 года назад +32

    I'm waiting for the day they'll say "We're the map, and here's the man", an then they just show a completely unrelated person.

  • @SacsachCCABP
    @SacsachCCABP Год назад +6

    “He died the same date he was born” might sound like a lot, until you say “he died on his birthday”

  • @stensoft
    @stensoft 2 года назад +10

    4:07 And then there is my microwave with a digital clock that drifts by half an hour a day. Clearly designed for boats and not stationary houses.

  • @napoleonibonaparte7198
    @napoleonibonaparte7198 2 года назад +164

    Men Map however, is an 1800’s version of Grindr.
    “We’re the map, and here’s the men!”

    • @TheAmericanPrometheus
      @TheAmericanPrometheus 2 года назад +6

      Thank you Napoleon, very cool!

    • @untruelie2640
      @untruelie2640 2 года назад

      WAIT A MOMENT...
      I thought you were pretty dead. I visited your grave. 🤔

    • @g0d5m15t4k3
      @g0d5m15t4k3 2 года назад

      10/10

    • @BonaparteBardithion
      @BonaparteBardithion 2 года назад +3

      @@untruelie2640
      Well, he's got pretty good wifi down there.

    • @nainatalwar8050
      @nainatalwar8050 2 года назад

      🟪 SERCH ADITYA RATHORE, HE ALSO MAKES JOURNALISTIC CONTENT LIKE JAY ON U-TUBE🟪

  • @ldlq804
    @ldlq804 2 года назад +62

    All of you talking about the tik tok joke but is anyone going to talk how 3:46 is the cutest thing ever.

    • @Zeem4
      @Zeem4 2 года назад +5

      Yes, it's the cutest thing ever. I only scrolled down to comment section to see if anyone else had noticed, or if it was just me.

    • @SOS_JA
      @SOS_JA 2 года назад +1

      But were did he get it.....

    • @pengiunanimatorguy1707
      @pengiunanimatorguy1707 4 месяца назад +1

      3:49 wEEEEEeee
      Absolutely adorable

  • @airstrike9002
    @airstrike9002 2 года назад +10

    3:15 eh, nowadays you have people who believe that some stones have magical abilities, believe that the earth is flat, and believe in astrology. The concept of dog wifi doesn't even faze me anymore.

  • @michaelmcdermott4385
    @michaelmcdermott4385 2 года назад +7

    Thank you for doing an episode on this. I wrote a report on "The Longitude Problem" in 8th grade, and why it was so important. No one knew what the hell I was talking about

  • @LifeinJars
    @LifeinJars 2 года назад +82

    £20.000+inflation would be around £3.400.000 now.
    Or about $4.700.000 or €4.000.000

  • @heathallanson
    @heathallanson 2 года назад +64

    I think my heart stopped when the Map Men theme did.

  • @thuecl
    @thuecl 2 года назад +7

    Love the video, but as a Dane I have to point out, that none of the gentlemen Galileo, Newton, Halley or Cassini found the speed of light. Though Galileo tried, all his attempts failed. The first to measure the speed of light - or as he called it (translated from Danish) "the hesitation of light - was the Danish astronomer Ole Rømer in 1676.
    In the book "Opticks" published in 1704 Newton reported about Rømers calculations. But Rømer was the first.
    :-)

  • @HelloIAmJo
    @HelloIAmJo 26 дней назад +1

    6:19 Jay's delivery should qualify him for any role in any piece of media as the announcer of someone not returning home after work/school/travel the day before

  • @alimaboobakuru1503
    @alimaboobakuru1503 2 года назад +464

    Some day I'll be mature enough to not laugh at "seamen"

    • @wendimunson844
      @wendimunson844 2 года назад +29

      I as well. But today is not that day

    • @xeviphract5894
      @xeviphract5894 2 года назад +23

      I laughed at "Shovell," so imagine MY level of maturity.

    • @Zraknul
      @Zraknul 2 года назад +8

      Tip: dont become that mature.

    • @stefanfranke5651
      @stefanfranke5651 2 года назад +9

      You will eventually.
      But only to the day, your're right in the act of making your first child with your wife, you will remember Jay's face saying "navigating seamen".
      Happy to help!

    • @jamesknapp64
      @jamesknapp64 2 года назад +4

      Never gonna happen

  • @fyllingenoy131
    @fyllingenoy131 2 года назад +28

    One thing though; the story of a sailor being hanged for pointing out to Admiral Shovell that they were about to hit the rocks off Scilly is a myth.

  • @ivanblakely903
    @ivanblakely903 2 года назад +7

    Seeing Harrison's clocks at Greenwich was one of my top experiences visiting UK.
    OK, I'm a nerd...
    the beer in the local pub wasn't too bad either.

    • @alexhristache
      @alexhristache 2 года назад +1

      Same!!

    • @mattbartley2843
      @mattbartley2843 2 года назад +1

      Yes, during my 2nd ever visit to London, in 2019, Greenwich Observatory was the only thing on my "must" list. (I happened to be in London during the finals of the Wimbeldon tennis tournament, but no chance of seeing that in person.) Everything else was random exploring, cool as it was.
      I most remember the ceremonial prime meridian outside and the "Is my satnav broken?" sign there, explaining why most GPS receivers won't read exactly zero longitude there. WGS84 datum versus historical, is the way I learned that.

  • @thatguyfromak5190
    @thatguyfromak5190 2 года назад +2

    This might be my favorite informative series on RUclips. The time between each upload just means quality is guaranteed every single time. Love what ya do from Alaska!

  • @jansenart0
    @jansenart0 2 года назад +48

    1:30 Dava Sobel in Longitude should not have reprinted the myth of Shovell having a man hanged. There's never been any evidence of such a thing, and it likely grossly mutated from a story about a sailor local to the Scilly Isles recognizing the shallows and trying to warn leadership but being rebuked.

  • @jasperschannel4976
    @jasperschannel4976 2 года назад +29

    you guys have mastered the art of sponsored segments

    • @mattbartley2843
      @mattbartley2843 2 года назад

      Indeed, that was one of the only ones I've actually wanted to watch through.

  • @ZearthGJL
    @ZearthGJL 2 года назад +10

    0:52
    Rejected exam question: Using the angle of the dangle-

  • @conroads2626
    @conroads2626 2 года назад +30

    0:05 how did you even get sponsored

  • @harrytodhunter5078
    @harrytodhunter5078 2 года назад +43

    The thing about Shovell hanging a sailor for trying to correct his navigation is just a myth unfortunately

  • @Citizen-of-theworld
    @Citizen-of-theworld 2 года назад +30

    By the look of the “advert” at the end, I’m assuming that they are big fans of the Mighty Boosh.

  • @zephyrandboreas
    @zephyrandboreas 2 года назад +22

    John Harrison has been for a long time one of my science heroes. And I find interesting that it was his experience as a maker of wooden clocks that allowed him in the end to being able to create a chronograph that worked in all kinds of whether, because of his knowledge that certain types of wood have natural oils and so his wooden clocks were self-lubricating. And so need for using other oils that created a lot of gunk and where the variation in wood properties, if not lubricated, would affect the accuracy of those clocks. That serendipitous knowledge put him on the right path to solve a key issue to develop a clock that worked at sea and in all kinds of whether.

    • @lutzderlurch7877
      @lutzderlurch7877 Год назад

      His H4 did not use wood, though and required lubrication

  • @freekingfreaking246
    @freekingfreaking246 Год назад +7

    This series is absolutely fantastic. I do not have the words to appreciate it. Please keep on it. Hate to think yall have broken up

    • @JayForeman
      @JayForeman  Год назад +15

      Thanks! We haven’t broken up. Map Men is coming back in 2023. Stay tuned!

    • @freekingfreaking246
      @freekingfreaking246 Год назад

      @@JayForeman in the meantime I guess I’ll just punch my head against a rusty knife

    • @VictorbrineSC
      @VictorbrineSC Год назад +2

      @@JayForeman This is the best news I have ever heard so far

  • @stopthenames
    @stopthenames 2 года назад +57

    Next week: "How to tell the time of day with a map"

    • @Alphacron
      @Alphacron 2 года назад +7

      All you have to do is know what time it is in Greenwich, then look at your map and see how many timezones forward or behind you are, and boom! Now you know what time it is!*
      *Unless you're trying to find the time in Greenwich.

    • @dfross87
      @dfross87 2 года назад +4

      @@Alphacron A trivial problem. Find out the time where you are, then check a map to work out which time zone you're in and voila! You can calculate the time in Greenwich.

  • @bob_the_bomb4508
    @bob_the_bomb4508 2 года назад +208

    Ironically, ‘sympathy dog’ predicted ‘quantum entanglement’ by some 300 years…

    • @somebonehead
      @somebonehead 2 года назад +14

      Lol, humanity really is just a hivemind, we're rediscovering secrets of the universe we've known for hundreds or thousands of years. /j

    • @knarf_inc4790
      @knarf_inc4790 2 года назад +15

      And a cat may or may have not been killed in the process.

    • @General12th
      @General12th 2 года назад +9

      They're nothing alike. And quantum entanglement can't be used to transmit information.

    • @bob_the_bomb4508
      @bob_the_bomb4508 2 года назад +34

      @@General12th nor can a sticking plaster on a dog :)

    • @General12th
      @General12th 2 года назад +20

      @@bob_the_bomb4508 Actually, that's a fair point.

  • @Colbasaurus23
    @Colbasaurus23 2 года назад +8

    Honestly some of the best humorous whilst factual writing on the platform! **moves goalposts**

  • @lordvlygar2963
    @lordvlygar2963 2 года назад +6

    5:55 so nice to see Prince Regent from Blackadder the Third make a cameo.

  • @FELiPES101
    @FELiPES101 2 года назад +90

    ahh yes dead reckoning...the best terminology for guessing

    • @Quagmirian
      @Quagmirian 2 года назад +3

      Dead reckoning isn't guessing. It's using your last known position and your current speed to extrapolate your current position. In the absence of unknowns like currents it can be perfectly adequate.

    • @hairyairey
      @hairyairey 2 года назад

      @@Quagmirian Only if you're travelling on land - add air or sea currents and it's next to useless.

    • @Quagmirian
      @Quagmirian 2 года назад +1

      @@hairyairey if you know the wind and tide then you can account for it

    • @hairyairey
      @hairyairey 2 года назад

      @@Quagmirian Over what distance? I doubt either of those could be calculated accurately for more than a few miles.

    • @Quagmirian
      @Quagmirian 2 года назад +1

      @@hairyairey it's still extensively used in aviation and marine navigation, even with the advent of gps.

  • @bjoe385
    @bjoe385 2 года назад +73

    I only knew this because of Only Fools and Horses, as is true of many things.

    • @Momo_1412
      @Momo_1412 2 года назад +3

      Was disappointed Del Boy didn’t get a shout out 😂

  • @RalucaBojor
    @RalucaBojor 2 года назад +2

    I absolutely love your sense of humor! Congrats on this awesome docu-series! Keep up the good work!

  • @mhkpt
    @mhkpt 2 года назад +1

    Loved the video and how often you made us pause to fully take in one of the little details you added. You guys are amazing.

  • @jakesteampson7043
    @jakesteampson7043 2 года назад +18

    0:18 It's a watch

  • @RCassinello
    @RCassinello 2 года назад +7

    Dava Sobel's "Longitude" is one of only two books I've managed to read cover-to-cover twice in one sitting.

  • @mmmk1616
    @mmmk1616 2 года назад +2

    I love your videos! I almost always watch a second time so I can pause on the funny bits that pop up too fast for me to read. Thanks for making these! :)

  • @zhiyuanliu9533
    @zhiyuanliu9533 2 года назад +10

    2:24, think it should be the mass of the earth, not the weight.

  • @jxh02
    @jxh02 2 года назад +312

    For Americans, replace "Yorkshireman" with "hillbilly" and you'll begin to grasp why the Astronomer Royal et al hated Harrison so much, and figured his clock must be crap. I saw a re-enactment at the Greenwich Royal Observatory and Harrison's accent instantly clued me to a whole dimension of the story that was easy to gloss over otherwise.

    • @milosit
      @milosit 2 года назад +12

      Hillbilly? I think not!

    • @mortache
      @mortache 2 года назад +27

      But if those people were competent they would have recognized the genius of the device. It was either negligence or jealousy

    • @piyam5948
      @piyam5948 2 года назад +45

      Someone from the north? Bleh! They don't even live in houses up there. (Quote heard in London yesterday)

    • @dominateeye
      @dominateeye 2 года назад +32

      As a Texan who lived in Middlesbrough (north-east England) for four years, this makes a lot of sense.

    • @lukedaniel7669
      @lukedaniel7669 2 года назад +20

      @@mortache It wasn't really either, the Longitude book significantly exaggerates Maskelin's animosity to Harrison for storytelling effect. Chronometers were highly accurate, very expensive and temperamental; Maskelin's lunar tables were accurate enough, cheap and never went wrong as they were calculated and published years in advance.

  • @milkloverenterprises3367
    @milkloverenterprises3367 2 года назад +25

    “Seamen”
    Ah yes, what else would I think besides that?

  • @owenwillard5409
    @owenwillard5409 2 года назад +26

    john harrison’s story is so wholesome. i love that it had a happy ending

    • @inwhichidie7171
      @inwhichidie7171 2 года назад +7

      Yeah, you don’t get a lot of those in history. It’s nice to see a brilliant person get recognized in their time, instead of getting executed for “communing with demons” or whatever and only being recognized centuries later

  • @BenWillock
    @BenWillock 2 года назад +3

    John Harrison is from my hometown, Barrow-upon-Humber.
    The primary school is named after him, and there's a life-size bronze statue of him in the village square.
    And a bench.

    • @andrewwalton8690
      @andrewwalton8690 2 года назад

      The bench sounds nice🤪

    • @kumasenlac5504
      @kumasenlac5504 10 месяцев назад

      John Harrison was born in Foulby, near Wakefield. His father worked as a carpenter on the Nostell Priory estate.

  • @SmoothOperator739
    @SmoothOperator739 2 года назад +41

    “Can I have a go on your hammer? Bang bang bang bang bang.”
    - King George III

  • @Alex-cw3rz
    @Alex-cw3rz 2 года назад +75

    Ah the Harrison Watches that's the one Del Boy and Dave get 6 million quid for.

    • @CricketEngland
      @CricketEngland 2 года назад +2

      £6,200,000 actually dummy
      If you going to quote things at least get them right

    • @Alex-cw3rz
      @Alex-cw3rz 2 года назад +4

      @@CricketEngland you are correct, I was thinking of when they run back in and think it £400,000 and then Rodney faints when the auctioner says £4 million

    • @baconwizard
      @baconwizard 2 года назад +9

      @@CricketEngland interesting how your comment is edited...

    • @michaelfoulis7438
      @michaelfoulis7438 2 года назад

      @@Alex-cw3rz You're still wrong, it was del boy who fainted not rodney

    • @TheSmart-CasualGamer
      @TheSmart-CasualGamer 2 года назад +3

      @@michaelfoulis7438 Nah, Del fainted the first time, then Rodney did later.

  • @StrangerYann
    @StrangerYann 2 года назад +2

    *starts singing along the chorus in my head* Map men Map men- *gets confused* *oh you* *you got me - again* - keep the show running U guys rock

  • @NonTwinBrothers
    @NonTwinBrothers 2 года назад +7

    Ah yes, reading that Longitude book in highschool really payed off here
    6:42 yup that's the one

    • @patrickkirby6580
      @patrickkirby6580 2 года назад +2

      I liked your comment just because you have the blue castle crusher in your profile pic, he’s my favorite character in the game

  • @stuartrockin
    @stuartrockin 2 года назад +91

    Can we actually get a Tik Tok of Tik Tok Yorkshire-man?

    • @airstrike9002
      @airstrike9002 2 года назад +13

      Now now, this channel isn't cringy enough to be on tik tok

  • @MacheB
    @MacheB 2 года назад +6

    8:55 haven’t heard of Encarta since the last millennium. Jolly fun reference.

  • @YouTube
    @YouTube 2 года назад +1500

    So many history lessons learnt through these videos, with an extra sprinkle of wit and humour 📗 😂

    • @conanichigawa
      @conanichigawa 2 года назад +93

      Wow. A RUclips account commenting on a RUclips video.

    • @EmrecanOksum
      @EmrecanOksum 2 года назад +83

      Hi RUclips, glad to see you on such quality content.

    • @MrRussianDollOfficial
      @MrRussianDollOfficial 2 года назад +266

      This comment has tarnished the reputation of Jay Foreman's channel

    • @stefanfranke5651
      @stefanfranke5651 2 года назад +92

      Hey RUclips, please stop these awfull mobile game ads!!!

    • @EVILBUNNY28
      @EVILBUNNY28 2 года назад +4

      @@conanichigawa I’ve seen it a couple times before

  • @MxCorvid
    @MxCorvid 2 года назад

    Your caption formatting is beautiful. Also everything else about this video too

  • @EpicGamer-kj1tj
    @EpicGamer-kj1tj 2 года назад +16

    6:00 Big funny

  • @rohanr4136
    @rohanr4136 2 года назад +11

    the only channel where we actually watch the sponsor segment 😂

  • @johnforrestboone1
    @johnforrestboone1 2 года назад

    i get soo excited every time a new vid of you guys show up. love your content

  • @mikerilling6515
    @mikerilling6515 10 дней назад +1

    “ Despite having no formal education he solved the problem “
    This is quite seriously the history of human civilization

  • @rdear
    @rdear 2 года назад +44

    “…last for centuries. Give or take a few minutes.”
    Choose your own hyperbolic, though somehow also very true, response. Hint: they all apply.
    *chef’s kiss* - im ded - lol - rofl - epic - sensible chuckle

  • @danlyle531
    @danlyle531 2 года назад +21

    And here I was hoping for the intro to be "clock men, clock men..."

  • @peterv6343
    @peterv6343 Год назад

    Legitimately loved this. Even your commercial at the end was hilarious. Love this guys!!

  • @clonetrooper2505
    @clonetrooper2505 10 месяцев назад +1

    Each time I watch this episode, I have to smile at the child proclaiming "wheee!" at 3:50. Both cute and hilarious.

  • @mastterby
    @mastterby 2 года назад +4

    The credits song was beautiful!

  • @GarethSoye
    @GarethSoye 2 года назад +4

    I can’t believe you didn’t explain Harrison’s Victorian Egg Timer which ended up on top of an old gas cooker.

  • @ashleyjarvis954
    @ashleyjarvis954 2 года назад +1

    Very funny and well explained. The Dava Sobel book on Longitude is a good read, glad you mentioned it.

  • @12many4you
    @12many4you 2 года назад +1

    Just when i thought you guys reached peak performance with your intro you step up the game like this.
    I love it