num_pages: 184
description: During the great ages of exploration "the longitude problem" was the greatest of scientific challenges. Lacking the ability to determine their longitude, sailors were literally lost at sea as soon as they lost sight of land. Ships ran aground on rocky shores; those traveling well-known routes were easy prey to pirates. In 1714, England's Parliament offered a huge reward to anyone whose method of measuring longitude could be proven successful. The scientific establishment—from Galileo to Sir Isaac Newton—had mapped the heavens in its certainty of a celestial answer. In stark contrast, one man, John Harrison, dared to imagine a mechanical solution—a clock that would keep precise time at sea, something no clock had been able to do on land. And the race was on.
language: English
title: Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
titlecomplete: Longitude: The True Story of a Lone Genius Who Solved the Greatest Scientific Problem of His Time
genres: Historical, History, Popular Science, Geography, Travel, Technology, Biography, Science, History Of Science, Nonfiction
ratings_count: 69854
awards: awardedAt: 852105600000
name: Royal Society Science Book Prize
category: General Prize
publisher: Penguin Books