The longitude problem: history's deadliest riddle

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 25 лис 2024
  • Get Surfshark VPN at surfshark.deal...
    Enter promo code MAPMEN for 83% off and 3 extra months for FREE!
    BUY MAP MEN MUGS, T-SHIRTS, POSTERS ETC...
    www.mapmenmerch...
    SEE NEW EPISODES EARLY, AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES EXTRAS...
    / jayforeman
    Written, presented and edited by
    JAY FOREMAN / jayforeman
    MARK COOPER-JONES / markcooperjones
    Director/DOP
    JADE NAGI / jade_nagi
    Bassa Island Game Loop - Latinesque by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. creativecommon...
    Source: incompetech.com...
    Artist: incompetech.com/

КОМЕНТАРІ • 2,3 тис.

  • @DYWYPI
    @DYWYPI 3 роки тому +2241

    "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 роки тому +59

      Well, neonatal mortality was quite high in those days.

    • @distinctloafer
      @distinctloafer 2 роки тому +8

      That's an englishmen for you.

    • @wholeNwon
      @wholeNwon 2 роки тому +5

      @@distinctloafer -man

    • @ulfberht4431
      @ulfberht4431 2 роки тому +1

      Or simply, “poetic irony!”

    • @THTB_lol
      @THTB_lol Рік тому +6

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

  • @Aiterior
    @Aiterior 3 роки тому +7908

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

    • @Aostrele
      @Aostrele 3 роки тому +52

      Yes

    • @clipscompilations4442
      @clipscompilations4442 3 роки тому +497

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

    • @alexj1295
      @alexj1295 3 роки тому +6

      Yes

    • @Leron...
      @Leron... 3 роки тому +207

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

    • @kriijan3747
      @kriijan3747 3 роки тому +238

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

  • @PopeLando
    @PopeLando 3 роки тому +5218

    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 3 роки тому +659

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

    • @hosephanerothe1440
      @hosephanerothe1440 3 роки тому +279

      *shuffles under carpet*

    • @RupeeRhod
      @RupeeRhod 3 роки тому +673

      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 3 роки тому +166

      He accounted for the difference in time zones.

    • @bakedbeanishdragon
      @bakedbeanishdragon 3 роки тому +32

      Boooooooo *throws tomatoes*

  • @ClockworksOfGL
    @ClockworksOfGL 3 роки тому +6194

    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 3 роки тому +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 3 роки тому +174

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

    • @AllonsyRapunzel
      @AllonsyRapunzel 3 роки тому +334

      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 3 роки тому +141

      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 3 роки тому +91

      @@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.

  • @TheNathRob
    @TheNathRob 3 роки тому +1025

    Sounds like Shovell dug his own grave...

    • @christianalbertjahns2577
      @christianalbertjahns2577 3 роки тому +7

      Your comment is very brilliant

    • @Loreman72
      @Loreman72 3 роки тому +3

      Oh, shut up! 😄

    • @WillTheTrainFan
      @WillTheTrainFan 2 роки тому +2

      This needs more likes

    • @gilroymenezes1558
      @gilroymenezes1558 2 роки тому +4

      Ba dum tss

    • @OleeveeyaChakraborty
      @OleeveeyaChakraborty 6 місяців тому +2

      @@gilroymenezes1558 Oh my god, UA-cam'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!

  • @MedlifeCrisis
    @MedlifeCrisis 3 роки тому +7419

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

    • @Pope_Balenciaga
      @Pope_Balenciaga 3 роки тому +118

      @TommyInnit 🅥 thanks buddy

    • @JayForeman
      @JayForeman  3 роки тому +1802

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

    • @smeetsnoud1
      @smeetsnoud1 3 роки тому +29

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

    • @thanksfernuthin
      @thanksfernuthin 3 роки тому +11

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

    • @zawadulhoque4511
      @zawadulhoque4511 3 роки тому +18

      @@ullasjoseph4502 what link

  • @Julio974
    @Julio974 3 роки тому +3770

    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  3 роки тому +1642

      Way ahead of you!

    • @steveb9542
      @steveb9542 3 роки тому +89

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

    • @imveryangryitsnotbutter
      @imveryangryitsnotbutter 3 роки тому +340

      @@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 3 роки тому +38

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

    • @emiliorescigno
      @emiliorescigno 3 роки тому +61

      Men Map Men Map Men Men Men Map
      Map

  • @joshuarosen6242
    @joshuarosen6242 3 роки тому +2598

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

    • @epicjoyfulcreations4580
      @epicjoyfulcreations4580 3 роки тому +93

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

    • @karu6111
      @karu6111 3 роки тому +45

      jesus, that joke had me legit bursting in laughter

    • @_Ekaros
      @_Ekaros 3 роки тому +27

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

    • @kcgunesq
      @kcgunesq 2 роки тому +59

      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 роки тому +4

      @@epicjoyfulcreations4580 Whats that in € ? :P

  • @sophia-helenemeesdetricht1957
    @sophia-helenemeesdetricht1957 3 роки тому +951

    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 роки тому +4

      Which Navy?

    • @sophia-helenemeesdetricht1957
      @sophia-helenemeesdetricht1957 2 роки тому +16

      @@gamemeister27 US Navy!

    • @doctorkilombo1406
      @doctorkilombo1406 2 роки тому +18

      ... 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)

    • @HypocrisyLaidBare
      @HypocrisyLaidBare 2 роки тому

      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 2 роки тому +27

      @@HypocrisyLaidBare don't be a pedant

  • @vladsnape6408
    @vladsnape6408 2 роки тому +304

    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 Рік тому +7

      Thank you

    • @HolySoliDeoGloria
      @HolySoliDeoGloria Рік тому +5

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

    • @flitsertheo
      @flitsertheo Рік тому +19

      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 Рік тому +13

      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 10 місяців тому +1

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

  • @yuvalne
    @yuvalne 3 роки тому +868

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

    • @adsasori
      @adsasori 3 роки тому +11

      It's worth like 4.5 million pounds

    • @takers786
      @takers786 3 роки тому +6

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

    • @adsasori
      @adsasori 3 роки тому +5

      @@takers786 different sites different measurements yours probably right

    • @matt-66
      @matt-66 2 роки тому

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

  • @pittofdoom
    @pittofdoom 3 роки тому +767

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

    • @Neonthon
      @Neonthon 3 роки тому +7

      I'm lost, care to explain?

    • @Hand-in-Shot_Productions
      @Hand-in-Shot_Productions 3 роки тому +4

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

    • @SenoraCardgage
      @SenoraCardgage 3 роки тому +8

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

    • @lukedaniel7669
      @lukedaniel7669 3 роки тому +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 3 роки тому

      @@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.

  • @aidanfarmer2045
    @aidanfarmer2045 3 роки тому +5126

    That Tiktok joke was utterly rancid and I love it

    • @markcooper-jones7494
      @markcooper-jones7494 3 роки тому +600

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

    • @snsayy
      @snsayy 3 роки тому +11

      XD best joke ever

    • @andreilin113
      @andreilin113 3 роки тому +54

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

    • @ieatcatpisslololololol1441
      @ieatcatpisslololololol1441 3 роки тому +31

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

    • @olegbbbuu
      @olegbbbuu 3 роки тому +2

      I dunno why but I thought of tic tac at first

  • @YouTube
    @YouTube 3 роки тому +1557

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

    • @conanichigawa
      @conanichigawa 3 роки тому +93

      Wow. A UA-cam account commenting on a UA-cam video.

    • @EmrecanOksum
      @EmrecanOksum 3 роки тому +84

      Hi UA-cam, glad to see you on such quality content.

    • @MrRussianDollOfficial
      @MrRussianDollOfficial 3 роки тому +276

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

    • @stefanfranke5651
      @stefanfranke5651 3 роки тому +94

      Hey UA-cam, please stop these awfull mobile game ads!!!

    • @EVILBUNNY28
      @EVILBUNNY28 3 роки тому +4

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

  • @colinpovey2904
    @colinpovey2904 2 роки тому +94

    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.

  • @5thearth
    @5thearth 3 роки тому +831

    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 3 роки тому +4

      An attached what? We need to know!

    • @jeremylakeman
      @jeremylakeman 3 роки тому +28

      @@AgentAileron Babbage never built it, but one has now been made from his design ua-cam.com/video/BlbQsKpq3Ak/v-deo.html

    • @AgentAileron
      @AgentAileron 3 роки тому +4

      Ooo, that's cool
      Cheers for sharing

    • @chrismorris294
      @chrismorris294 3 роки тому +1

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

    • @midshipman8654
      @midshipman8654 3 роки тому

      really interesting!

  • @vaclav_fejt
    @vaclav_fejt 3 роки тому +671

    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 3 роки тому +56

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

    • @JayForeman
      @JayForeman  3 роки тому +113

      ua-cam.com/video/wiX8SmqYWyI/v-deo.html

    • @Xatzimi
      @Xatzimi 3 роки тому +49

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

    • @blurds
      @blurds 3 роки тому +2

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

    • @MolloyPolloy
      @MolloyPolloy 3 роки тому +6

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

  • @acasualcactus5878
    @acasualcactus5878 3 роки тому +346

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

    • @martonkormendy6150
      @martonkormendy6150 3 роки тому +4

      There's actually a band with that name, too

    • @blitzy99
      @blitzy99 3 роки тому +2

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

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 3 роки тому

      Looks like one, too.

    • @timothymclean
      @timothymclean 3 роки тому +2

      Or Shovel Knight's evil sky pirate cousin.

    • @grantbmilburn
      @grantbmilburn 3 роки тому +2

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

  • @4thalt
    @4thalt 8 місяців тому +5

    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.

  • @realnoahsimpson
    @realnoahsimpson 3 роки тому +44

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

  • @awesomefajitas
    @awesomefajitas 3 роки тому +847

    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 3 роки тому +15

      Awesome story :)

    • @nob2243
      @nob2243 3 роки тому +29

      @@nainatalwar8050 How about no

  • @LifeinJars
    @LifeinJars 3 роки тому +86

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

  • @dillonbuffington303
    @dillonbuffington303 3 роки тому +386

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

  • @amazing_svp_all
    @amazing_svp_all 3 роки тому +58

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

  • @saiyajedi
    @saiyajedi 3 роки тому +90

    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 3 роки тому +6

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

  • @Spencer481
    @Spencer481 3 роки тому +212

    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 3 роки тому +4

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

    • @Spencer481
      @Spencer481 3 роки тому +4

      No one dare like this, 69 likes forever pls

    • @flamencoprof
      @flamencoprof 3 роки тому +7

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

    • @iain3482
      @iain3482 3 роки тому +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 роки тому +4

      Ironically it’s spelled grammar not grammer

  • @ArtemyMusha
    @ArtemyMusha 3 роки тому +148

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

    • @hebl47
      @hebl47 3 роки тому +5

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

    • @imveryangryitsnotbutter
      @imveryangryitsnotbutter 3 роки тому +9

      Ah yes, the Wikipedia before Wikipedia existed.

    • @gimmetreefiddy891
      @gimmetreefiddy891 3 роки тому +1

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

  • @joreck
    @joreck 3 роки тому +165

    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 3 роки тому +1

      Hasnt GPS moved due to variations in earths wobble etc ?

    • @christofferhjelte
      @christofferhjelte 3 роки тому +1

      A quartz wristwatch doesnt do the trick?

    • @mattbartley2843
      @mattbartley2843 3 роки тому +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 роки тому +1

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

    • @tylisirn
      @tylisirn 2 роки тому +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.

  • @mohamedak2648
    @mohamedak2648 3 роки тому +177

    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 роки тому +16

      Ah, but was he against _Yorkshiremen?_

    • @MasonGreenWeed
      @MasonGreenWeed 2 роки тому +1

      @@dominateeye they're Yorkshireman

    • @qwertyTRiG
      @qwertyTRiG 2 роки тому +5

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

    • @tooleyheadbang4239
      @tooleyheadbang4239 Рік тому +2

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

    • @mohamedak2648
      @mohamedak2648 Рік тому +1

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

  • @gdclemo
    @gdclemo 3 роки тому +39

    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.

  • @goodlookingcorpse
    @goodlookingcorpse 3 роки тому +83

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

    • @kellywelz5398
      @kellywelz5398 3 роки тому +2

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

    • @mattbartley2843
      @mattbartley2843 3 роки тому +2

      It's just a model!
      Shhhhh!

    • @plumjet09
      @plumjet09 Рік тому +1

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

  • @johnf.kennedy343
    @johnf.kennedy343 3 роки тому +41

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

  • @cristianrobertradulescu5690
    @cristianrobertradulescu5690 3 роки тому +58

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

    • @stefanfranke5651
      @stefanfranke5651 3 роки тому +6

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

    • @nainatalwar8050
      @nainatalwar8050 3 роки тому

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

  • @qingyangzhang6093
    @qingyangzhang6093 3 роки тому +127

    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 роки тому +6

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

    • @Qmeister044
      @Qmeister044 2 роки тому +12

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

    • @eliparker7151
      @eliparker7151 2 роки тому +2

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

    • @sydhenderson6753
      @sydhenderson6753 Рік тому +1

      More accurately than Henry Cavendish?

    • @beardedchimp
      @beardedchimp Рік тому

      @@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.

  • @Hollywood2021
    @Hollywood2021 3 роки тому +12

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

    • @TheRealEvilkitten3
      @TheRealEvilkitten3 3 місяці тому

      technically i think most people come from semen, actually

  • @sypialnia_studio
    @sypialnia_studio 3 роки тому +59

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

  • @heathallanson
    @heathallanson 3 роки тому +65

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

  • @MrInsomniac19
    @MrInsomniac19 3 роки тому +67

    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 3 роки тому +5

      Haha was hoping for this in the video

    • @hairyairey
      @hairyairey 3 роки тому +3

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

  • @michaelmcdermott4385
    @michaelmcdermott4385 3 роки тому +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

  • @freekingfreaking246
    @freekingfreaking246 2 роки тому +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  2 роки тому +15

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

    • @freekingfreaking246
      @freekingfreaking246 2 роки тому

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

    • @VictorbrineSC
      @VictorbrineSC 2 роки тому +2

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

  • @jansenart0
    @jansenart0 3 роки тому +51

    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 3 роки тому +30

    you guys have mastered the art of sponsored segments

    • @mattbartley2843
      @mattbartley2843 3 роки тому

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

  • @fyllingenoy131
    @fyllingenoy131 3 роки тому +29

    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.

  • @boo453
    @boo453 3 роки тому +12

    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

  • @thuecl
    @thuecl 2 роки тому +8

    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.
    :-)

  • @frankhan8993
    @frankhan8993 3 роки тому +200

    I'm calling my clock "chronometer" from now

    • @bertrach
      @bertrach 3 роки тому +8

      I call mine Chronopeter. :P

    • @090giver090
      @090giver090 3 роки тому +5

      You can't unless COSC allows you to :Е

    • @BadWebDiver
      @BadWebDiver 3 роки тому +6

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

    • @nainatalwar8050
      @nainatalwar8050 3 роки тому

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

    • @SeanMacadelic
      @SeanMacadelic 3 роки тому

      All watches/clocks are chronometers

  • @napoleonibonaparte7198
    @napoleonibonaparte7198 3 роки тому +168

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

    • @TheAmericanPrometheus
      @TheAmericanPrometheus 3 роки тому +6

      Thank you Napoleon, very cool!

    • @untruelie2640
      @untruelie2640 3 роки тому

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

    • @g0d5m15t4k3
      @g0d5m15t4k3 3 роки тому

      10/10

    • @BonaparteBardithion
      @BonaparteBardithion 3 роки тому +3

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

    • @nainatalwar8050
      @nainatalwar8050 3 роки тому

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

  • @Citizen-of-theworld
    @Citizen-of-theworld 3 роки тому +30

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

  • @RichardMaw
    @RichardMaw 3 роки тому +30

    6:22 best joke.

  • @stensoft
    @stensoft 3 роки тому +16

    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.

  • @ldlq804
    @ldlq804 3 роки тому +69

    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 3 роки тому +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 роки тому +1

      But were did he get it.....

    • @pengiunanimatorguy
      @pengiunanimatorguy 11 місяців тому +1

      3:49 wEEEEEeee
      Absolutely adorable

  • @igorcalixtodasilva56
    @igorcalixtodasilva56 3 роки тому +34

    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.

  • @harrytodhunter5078
    @harrytodhunter5078 3 роки тому +45

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

  • @CCABPSacsach
    @CCABPSacsach 2 роки тому +6

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

  • @HelloIAmJo
    @HelloIAmJo 7 місяців тому +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

  • @bjoe385
    @bjoe385 3 роки тому +73

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

    • @Momo_1412
      @Momo_1412 3 роки тому +3

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

  • @alexray230
    @alexray230 3 роки тому +11

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

  • @stopthenames
    @stopthenames 3 роки тому +57

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

    • @Alphacron
      @Alphacron 3 роки тому +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 3 роки тому +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.

  • @zephyrandboreas
    @zephyrandboreas 3 роки тому +23

    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 Рік тому

      His H4 did not use wood, though and required lubrication

  • @HypocrisyLaidBare
    @HypocrisyLaidBare 2 роки тому +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!

    • @amaureaLua
      @amaureaLua 6 місяців тому

      All watches are clocks, though. "My good sir, this is NOT an animal! It's an elephant! You can tell from the trunk, big ears and overall hugeness!"

  • @Colbasaurus23
    @Colbasaurus23 3 роки тому +8

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

  • @airstrike9002
    @airstrike9002 3 роки тому +12

    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.

  • @RCassinello
    @RCassinello 3 роки тому +7

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

  • @pengiunanimatorguy
    @pengiunanimatorguy 11 місяців тому +1

    0:21 I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, you guys are actually the best

  • @ivanblakely903
    @ivanblakely903 3 роки тому +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 3 роки тому +1

      Same!!

    • @mattbartley2843
      @mattbartley2843 3 роки тому +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.

  • @StrangerYann
    @StrangerYann 3 роки тому +3

    *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

  • @ZearthGJL
    @ZearthGJL 3 роки тому +10

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

  • @FELiPES101
    @FELiPES101 3 роки тому +89

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

    • @Quagmirian
      @Quagmirian 3 роки тому +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 3 роки тому

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

    • @Quagmirian
      @Quagmirian 3 роки тому +1

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

    • @hairyairey
      @hairyairey 3 роки тому

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

    • @Quagmirian
      @Quagmirian 3 роки тому +1

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

  • @avakining
    @avakining 4 місяці тому +1

    3:50 that baby just made an impeccable seagull sound!

  • @thatguyfromak5190
    @thatguyfromak5190 3 роки тому +2

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

  • @sarcasmo57
    @sarcasmo57 3 роки тому +4

    My local Blockbuster had Surf Shark.

  • @alimaboobakuru1503
    @alimaboobakuru1503 3 роки тому +464

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

    • @wendimunson844
      @wendimunson844 3 роки тому +30

      I as well. But today is not that day

    • @xeviphract5894
      @xeviphract5894 3 роки тому +24

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

    • @Zraknul
      @Zraknul 3 роки тому +8

      Tip: dont become that mature.

    • @stefanfranke5651
      @stefanfranke5651 3 роки тому +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 3 роки тому +4

      Never gonna happen

  • @GarethSoye
    @GarethSoye 3 роки тому +4

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

  • @TheFormalFools
    @TheFormalFools 2 роки тому +1

    I like the fact the word "Semen" is said within the first five seconds of the video.
    You deserve a like.

  • @robsmithracing
    @robsmithracing 3 роки тому +2

    Del Boy held on to that pocket watch for 18 years believing it to be a Victorian egg timer.

  • @bob_the_bomb4508
    @bob_the_bomb4508 3 роки тому +208

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

    • @somebonehead
      @somebonehead 3 роки тому +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 3 роки тому +15

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

    • @General12th
      @General12th 3 роки тому +9

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

    • @bob_the_bomb4508
      @bob_the_bomb4508 3 роки тому +34

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

    • @General12th
      @General12th 3 роки тому +20

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

  • @milkloverenterprises3367
    @milkloverenterprises3367 3 роки тому +25

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

  • @conroads2626
    @conroads2626 3 роки тому +47

    0:05 how did you even get sponsored

  • @owenwillard5409
    @owenwillard5409 3 роки тому +26

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

    • @inwhichidie7171
      @inwhichidie7171 3 роки тому +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

  • @davidhouseman4328
    @davidhouseman4328 3 роки тому +1

    Encarta. One of so many things from my youth that were universal and future generations will have no idea about.

  • @lordvlygar2963
    @lordvlygar2963 3 роки тому +6

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

  • @MacheB
    @MacheB 3 роки тому +6

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

  • @NonTwinBrothers
    @NonTwinBrothers 3 роки тому +7

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

    • @patrickkirby6580
      @patrickkirby6580 3 роки тому +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

  • @mikerilling6515
    @mikerilling6515 6 місяців тому +1

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

  • @kumasenlac5504
    @kumasenlac5504 Рік тому +2

    6:33 You need three chronometers for each ship and then there's the cleaning, calibrating and general fettling involved.

  • @forevermarkel
    @forevermarkel 3 роки тому +5

    Don't know if it's a coincidence or not but: "The Longitude" has a rather lengthy hold list at my local library! I'll call it the "Map Men Effect"!

  • @OliversWorld2217
    @OliversWorld2217 Рік тому +7

    0:27 is my favourite part

  • @SmoothOperator739
    @SmoothOperator739 3 роки тому +41

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

  • @andyalder7910
    @andyalder7910 3 роки тому +2

    The bit about Shovell hanging the sailor is a myth, but amusing never the less.

  • @py8554
    @py8554 7 місяців тому +1

    There is a 1995 bestseller book named “Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Tim” by Dava Sobel. It covers the critical problem of longitude and the story of how John Harrison created the first clock (chronometer) which is sufficiently accurate to be used to determine longitude at sea. The book was later made into an award winning television series in UK.

    • @JayForeman
      @JayForeman  7 місяців тому

      We know. Watch the end of the video.

    • @py8554
      @py8554 7 місяців тому

      @@JayForemanIndeed you know. Just want to add some details in text onto the briefing you guys provided. Cheers.

    • @JayForeman
      @JayForeman  7 місяців тому

      @@py8554 Ah, I see. Thanks! :)

  • @cosmicthistle4269
    @cosmicthistle4269 2 роки тому +3

    Imagine a sequeal of Horrible Histories called "Horrible Geography", with Jay and Mark. I would die happy

  • @aktuellyattee8265
    @aktuellyattee8265 2 роки тому +6

    5:48 I wonder what the people there thought about a man holding a hammer walking toward Buckingham Palace.

  • @zhiyuanliu9533
    @zhiyuanliu9533 3 роки тому +11

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

  • @AudieHolland
    @AudieHolland 3 роки тому +2

    In fact, during the golden age of big screen (cinema) movies, they always put a big "The End" at the end. Seriously.
    If Hollywood wasn't in America but in Holland, the words would just be: "Get Out, make room for more paying customers."

  • @adammullarkey4996
    @adammullarkey4996 2 роки тому +1

    This advert has the makings of a Pixar movie.
    Pixar presents: Appliances.

  • @rdear
    @rdear 3 роки тому +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

  • @rohanr4136
    @rohanr4136 3 роки тому +11

    the only channel where we actually watch the sponsor segment 😂

  • @dukeofglasgow9354
    @dukeofglasgow9354 3 роки тому +3

    Audience: How many ‘Men’ variations are you going to include?
    Mark & Jay: Yesses

  • @BrendonDugan
    @BrendonDugan 3 роки тому +2

    I cannot express the amount of pleasure I get out of you all slightly changing the intro every time. This is how I survived 2020.

  • @donjohnson24
    @donjohnson24 Рік тому +1

    I believe that the 'pocket watch' (actually quite large) was created to enable the time being shown on the larger clock down in a cabin to be transferred to the ship's deck where the sun's position, etc., was being measured. However, the pocket watch actually turned out to be even more accurate than the cabin clock, so the larger clock was not needed.