Historical Scientific Illustrations

Engravings of historical scientific instruments and experiments, showcasing inventions like the Time Ball and early electrical devices.

The Time Ball, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Fig. 1, 1844. 'The hour of one o'clock is announced by the descent of a large black ball, from the summit of a pole, which surmounts the northwestern turret of the Observatory; a position singularly favourable for its exhibition to mariners on their progress down the adjacent river Thames. The apparatus...may be said to consist of a hoist for raising the ball, a trigger and discharging gear for its liberation, and a clock, regulated by observation, for giving the required moment of time...Fig. 1, exhibits an upright plan of the first, second, a
The Time Ball, Royal Observatory, Greenwich, Fig. 1, 1844. 'The hour of one o'clock is announced by the descent of a large black ball, from the summit of a pole, which surmounts the northwestern turret of the Observatory; a position singularly favourable for its exhibition to mariners on their progress down the adjacent river Thames. The apparatus...may be said to consist of a hoist for raising the ball, a trigger and discharging gear for its liberation, and a clock, regulated by observation, for giving the required moment of time...Fig. 1, exhibits an upright plan of the first, second, a