Kathleen's Reviews > Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time

"The British Parliament, in its famed Longitude Act of 1714, set the highest bounty of all, naming a prize equal to a king’s ransom (several million dollars in today’s currency) for a “Practicable and Useful” means of determining longitude.”

I read this historical and biographical account in one evening. It's not without flaws, but I was fascinated and gave it 5 stars for holding my attention in a topic I rarely read about, where science, math, politics, and culture intersect with astronomical and nautical history. The technical details may be insufficient for some readers, but there was just enough for me. Author Dava Sobel caught my interest and held it. Kudos to her!

Anyway....Naval ships were crashing against rocks and smashing to bits, off course because finding longitude was rather a guessing game, even though latitude was fairly straightforward. Skippers didn't know how far north or south of their latitudinal orientation they had sailed. They'd run aground in the dark, the fog, etc.

So.... In 1714, King George and Parliament earmarked a HUGE reward (£20,000 pounds!) for whoever was first to come up with a highly reliable way to find longitudinal orientation.

Solving the longitude problem became a national pastime, for decades. All kinds of quacks tried all sorts of crackpot methods. Funny funny stuff!! Sensible seamen, scientists, astronomers, and mathematicians also joined the race.

However, it was a lowly clockmaker who came up with the best method. An enduring method. It became his life's work.

Did John Harrison actually win the prize, or did jealous prigs and political big-wigs cheat him of his due reward? Read it yourself to find out. It's less than 200 pages.