John Harrison

Hello! My name is John Harrison. A long, long time ago, in the year 1693, I was born. When I was a little boy, I loved working with wood, just like my father. I also loved things that went tick-tock! I thought clocks were the most wonderful things. I learned how to make my own clocks from wood. I would listen to their gentle ticking sounds and watch their hands go round and round. Making things work was my favorite thing to do in the world.

In those days, sailing on the big, wide ocean was very tricky. Sailors in their big ships would travel far from land, but sometimes they would get lost. They didn't know if they were going east or west! This was a very big problem because they couldn't find their way home. I heard about this problem and thought, 'What if I could build a special clock? A clock that could survive the rocking and rolling of a ship on the waves?' I knew I had to try to help the sailors.

So, I got to work! It took me a very long time, but I built special clocks that I called my 'sea clocks.' They weren't like other clocks at all. In the year 1735, I finished my first one. It could keep ticking perfectly even when the ship went up and down on big waves. With my special clock, sailors could look up at the sun and know exactly where they were in the middle of the ocean. My invention helped them find their way home safely to their families.

I was very proud that my invention helped so many people. I lived to be 83 years old. Today, people remember my sea clocks because they made traveling across the ocean much, much safer for everyone. My work helped brave sailors explore the world and always find their way back home.