The Little Bird© A Twice-Weekly Newsletter For Curious Seniors Nancy A. Franks, Editor
Topic: It’s About Time
“Where’d you hear that?” “The Little Bird© told me!”
Shepherd Gate Clock Clepsydras How Long Is A Day?
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Imagine having to add “Fill Here on Earth we define a day as 24
(Photo Source: clepsydra with water.” to your hours. That’s because the Earth daily “to do” list! That might have takes approximately 24 hours to been the case if you lived in ancient The Shepard Gate Clock hangs on the make one rotation. As you travel Greece. throughout our solar system, you’ll wall outside of the gates of the Royal Observatory Greenwich, Britain’s first A clepsydra was a water clock, one discover that the length of one day state-funded scientific institution. of the oldest time measuring differs from one planet to the next. Since the late 19th century, this has instruments. The name translates to A day on Venus would be equal to been the location of the Prime “water thief”. Water clocks were 243 days on Earth. Now that would Meridian of the world - Longitude 0° one of the most accurate time be a long day! One Venus day is the 0’ 0”. length of time between January 1st telling instruments until 1656 when The Shepard Gate Clock is considered the pendulum clock was invented. and August 31st. Jupiter has the one of the most important clocks in the shortest day. In the solar system. In the clepsydra shown above, world. It was most likely the first clock to publically display Greenwich water from the top vessel slowly Planet: Length Of One Mean time. This 24-hour analog clock flowed into the lower vessel. The Day: originally displayed astronomical inside of the lower vessel was Mercury 1,408 hours time, which counted time beginning at marked with lines or dots so that Venus 5,832 hours noon, rather than midnight. It was people could note the passage of once called a “slave clock” because it hours. Earth 24 hours relies on the Shepherd Master Clock Mars 25 hours inside the Royal Observatory for its The clocks were especially useful at accuracy. The time was sent via night when priests needed to Jupiter 10 hours telegraph wired throughout Europe. determine the precise time for Saturn 11 hours In 1866, the time was transmitted from rituals and sacrifices to begin. Uranus 17 hours the Shepherd Gate Clock to Harvard Over the years, clepsydras became University in Cambridge, Neptune 16 hours Massachusetts using transatlantic more elaborate. Gongs, bells, and submarine cables. moving figures were added. Daylight Savings Time Father Time
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What do the states of Alaska and Arizona have in common? To date,
Alaska and Hawaii are the only two states that do not observe Daylight (PhotoSource: denverartmuseum.org) Savings Time. Hawaii withdrew from the 1966 Uniform Time Act in 1967. Due to their close proximity to the Equator, the sun rises and sets at the Time Clipping Cupid’s Wings same time all year round. There simply was no reason to bother with the Pierre Mignard – 1694 ritual of changing the clocks forward and back each year. Arizona also Oil On Canvas Denver Art Museum chose to withdraw from the 1966 Uniform Time Act the following year. Supporters felt like the state received plenty of daylight. By ignoring For centuries, Father Time has been depicted as an old man with wings, a Daylight Savings Time, Arizonians have been able to cut back on energy white beard, and flowing hair. uses, keep temperatures down during the times that residents were awake, Sometime dressed in a robe, he often and sync bedtimes to the natural light outside. There is one exception in carries a scythe and an hourglass. He Arizona. Navajo Nation, which spreads across a large piece of northern is meant to personify the fast, one-way Arizona, decided to remain on Daylight Saving Time. Because Navajo passage of time. These two pieces of art Nation also extends into Utah and New Mexico, they felt it was best to can be viewed at the Denver Art maintain continuity. The U.S. territories of Puerto Rico, Guam, American Museum and the Metropolitan Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands do not participate in Daylight Savings Museum Of Art. Around the New Time. Year, cards and advertisements often Rolex By The Numbers pair Father Time with Baby New Year.
Rolex uses IIII, in place of the
Roman numeral IV. It is called “the IIII watchmaker’s four”. The winding crown is made up of 10 different pieces and hermetically 10 sealed onto the watchcase. Rolex has 4 locations in etmuseum.org) Switzerland, each with a staff of truefacts.com) (Photo Source: 4 6,000.
Rolex made the first waterproof case for a watch in 1926. It was called The Oyster Case. 1926 m Source: (Photo Rolex uses 904L, the most expensive stainless steel in the world. It is resistant to rust, corrosion, and pitting. Other 904L high-end watch brands use 316L. Father Time At The Right Leaning The most expensive Rolex watch ever sold was sold at auction in October 2017 for $17.75 million. It was the On A Scythe $17.75 iconic 1968 Reference 6239 Daytona. Giuilo Bonasone – Produced 1531-1576 Rolex is the only watch manufacturer that has their own in- Engraving house gold foundry. They make their own gold for their Metropolitan Museum Of Arts 1 million watches. Bars of Everose gold are worth $1,000,000.
Tallest Clock Tower Dali’s Melting Clocks
(Photo thetowerinfo.com) Source: The PersistenceThe Of Memory Salvador1931 MoMA Dali If you want to see the tallest clock tower in the world, head to the central area of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The Makkah Royal Clock Salvador Dali’s The Persistence Of Memory has hung at New York’s Tower, standing 1,972 feet high, Metropolitan Museum Of Art since 1934. It is believed that the three overlooks the holiest site of Islam, melting clocks suggest that time has lost all of its meaning. The figure on Kaaba. It opened in 2012. the ground is believed to be Dali’s self-portrait. The sand in the painting is meant to refer to the “sands of time”. The ants are also shaped like The 120-floor clock tower was built hourglasses. upon orders from King Abdulla who insisted that it be the tallest on Fun Fact: London’s Fun Fact: France is the Earth. It was completed in just Big Ben first chimed on country with the most time zones. three months. Because its territories are scattered February 11, 1859. throughout the world, it has 12 One of the clock’s four faces is 35 different time zones. times larger than the face of Big Fun Fact: Ben. The four faces, covered with Beat The Clock was the first Don’t miss the next 98 million pieces of glass mosaic, issue of are illuminated by two million LED and longest-running stunt The Little Bird©! gameshow. It launched on lights. Each minute hand is 75 feet XXX The Little Bird CBS, but switched to NBC. long. The hour hands are 56 feet long. Sources: time.com/5005600/states-without-daylight- savings-time, “Time and tide wait for no man.” - Geoffrey Chaucer www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39285 0, https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Father_Time#/Art, “Time moves in one direction, memory in another.” spaceplace.nasa.gov/days/en, www.rmg.co.uk/royal- observatory/attractions/shepherd-gate- - William Gibson clockwww.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3 067, www.historyofinformation.com/detail.php?id=3067, “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you www.brainyquote.com/topics/time-quotes, destinationksa.com/10-facts-about-the-makkah- have, and only you can determine how it will be royal-clock-tower-that-you-probably-didnt-know- about, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraj_Al_Bait, spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for thetowerinfo.com/buildings-list/abraj-al-bait, www.moma.org/collection/works/79018, you.” - Carl Sandburg https://www.dalipaintings.com/persistence-of- memory.jsp, https://www.indiatoday.in/education- today/gk-current-affairs/story/time-zones www.seattletimes.com/life/travel/londons-finest- “The time that you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.” fun-facts-to-know-about-the-citys-big-ben/
- Bertrand Russel