Two methods of timekeeping existed before the advent of television and radio. There were two methods, one use a sundial and the other involving the voice of your clock. Unfortunately, that is no longer the situation.
Synchronization was Made Feasible by the Development of Railroads and Telegraph Lines
The contemporary railroad was not only a pleasurable way to travel across the country, but also a very efficient one. It not only helped people get about, but it also helped cut down on mishaps. Trains were dangerous before the advent of modern technology. Fortunately, in the 1850s and 1860s, telegraph lines were installed alongside key railway routes. It's no secret that telegraphs are going the way of the dinosaurs these days.
Western Union wasn't the only corporation offering telegraph services; there were numerous others vying for customers' attention. 540 businesses joined the aforementioned group. Competition in the telegraph industry suffered greatly during the Great Depression due to a lack of federal stimulus funds. For a while, the rogue businesses did not make any public statements.
Although coordinating between the telegraph and railroad was not a high concern, the two systems did go together rather well. However, the telegraph was not faultless.
Temple Dells
Many people in the early half of the 20th century relied on the time displayed on the town clock to determine how long it had been daytime. In addition, the carillon was used to signal when bells should ring.
Bells are struck by pins on a big drum called a carillon. During rituals like daily mass or Sunday worship, the bells would ring out. Carillons are often paired with turret clocks, which are housed within towers.
Ancient clocks were huge, cumbersome machines. Railways were one of the earliest users for time signals since they need extremely accurate time signals in order to coordinate their activities across vast distances.
In the beginning, clocks were too bulky and heavy for a single person to handle. This resulted in their placement in very visible areas. Also, because they could only be programmed once a day, they were impractical for usage by a single person.
Sundials
Sundials, in one form or another, have been used by virtually every civilization to keep track of time. Sundials were the most practical timekeeping devices before the advent of television and radio. Still used as a decorative element in modern times as radio controlled clocks.
Miniature stone structures called gnomons were employed in ancient sundials to cast shadows and calculate time. The gnomon's shadow followed the path of the sun as it traversed the sky. The gnomon could keep track of time by noting when the shadow coincided with the Earth's axis. The gnomon's original orientation was vertical, but in more recent times it has been set up to move in a parallel direction along the axis.
A sundial's dividing ability also allowed it to be used to split the day in half. The hours between sunrise and sunset were considered twilight. The sundials had to be changed at midday so that they accurately reflected the day's varying light levels.
Clocks with Talking Voices
Many Britons stress with maintaining a precise sense of time. To ensure that the time they are given is accurate, they check their clocks whenever they are adjusted.
Before the widespread availability of telephones and televisions and digital clocks, checking the time required a call to an operator. To confirm the time, the operator would look at the wall clock. However, there were occasions when neither the clock nor the operator were able to provide accurate information to the consumer who had asked for the time.
The issue was addressed by the General Post Office, which created the Talking Clock. Intended to function continuously for twenty years. The service's efficacy relied on the inclusion of a circuit to identify and repair any malfunctions. As such, it required adjustment in relation to the time signal transmitted by the Royal Greenwich Observatory.
Seasonal Adjustment of the Clocks to Get an Extra Hour of Daylight
The purpose of daylight saving time during World War II was to conserve energy. More food might be grown to support the military effort. More sunshine was available during the warmer months.
Turning clocks forward in the spring to provide for longer evenings of natural light dates back to Benjamin Franklin's time, in 1784. However, the United States did not adopt daylight saving time until 1918.
In the United States, daylight saving time was initially mandated by the Standard Time Act of 1918. During World War I, it lengthened the day by seven months. In addition, it normalized the time change.
During WWII, President Franklin D. Roosevelt had the hourly schedule reintroduced. Yet after the war, several nations enforced their own rules.
