Apparently the reason why the 0 longitude line was determined in Greenwich in London is because the ships of the British Navy, which was the largest in the world, used this point as a reference, and made it a world standard, thanks to Cook
Written by Udi Lam
The article was published on 17/10/2014
This week 240 years ago, the expedition of the British captain and oceanographer James Cook discovered Norfolk Island, which is located between the coasts of Australia and New Zealand. The discovery was made during Cook's second voyage to explore the oceans and map the world, where the chronometer was used for the first time as an instrument for marine navigation.
One of the main problems in maritime navigation, during the centuries that have passed since the European sailors began to sail in the open sea (actually since the time of Columbus) was the determination of the longitude where they are. Unlike the latitude, which they knew how to determine according to the height of the sun in the sky during the day, to determine the longitude they used several methods that were not accurate up to that time: measuring the speed of the ship and the direction of its movement, as well as measuring the positions of the stars on different dates. However, the astronomical measurements in those years were not good enough to give the required accuracy.
John Harrison, a watchmaker from Yorkshire (the region where Cook was also born) was the first to develop an accurate chronometer that met the requirements of the "Committee of Longitude" appointed to find a solution to the navigation problem. The invention was based on a simple idea: since the local time everywhere by the Earth varies according to the longitude, it is possible to use two accurate clocks: the first shows the time at the ship's port of departure (or at an agreed reference point) while the second is adjusted every day by the ship's crew (Usually this authority was given only to the captain or his deputy) at noon, when the sun is at its highest. Multiplying the time difference between the clocks by 15 degrees (each hour of movement in the clock is equal to such a change) will give the longitude difference from the reference point.
James Cook was the first to give credence to the new invention, perhaps because he and Harrison were born in the same area, far from the capital city and the conservative view of the British Admiralty. Following Cook's success, the chronometer was introduced to use in all ships of the British fleet, and was one of the reasons for Britain's success in exploring the world and establishing the empire. By the way, this is probably the reason why the 0 longitude line was set in Greenwich in London - when the ships of the British Navy, which was the largest in the world, used this point as a reference, making it a world standard.
In the same topic on the science website:
The curse that became a blessing - about the disaster of the Isles of Scilly
Wikipedia extensions
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It is worth noting that 2 space shuttles were named after the oil of two of Cook's ships - the Discovery and the Endeavor.
In addition, maps drawn by Cook were used until after World War II.
It's good that the title said "a relatively simple watch..."
The watch was not simple at all, and John Harrison worked very hard on it
and perfected it to a maximum degree of accuracy and incredible stability
Both in storm conditions and in variable temperature conditions.
And that was his life's work.
The achievement belongs to John Harrison who opened the clock.
James Cook with all the respect he deserves as an explorer,
In this case there was only a good user of the invention