Came across an interesting historical slideshow on the BBC, for those interested in the Empire era:
The crazy ideas which failed to solve the longitude problemhere.
It was a complex conundrum which baffled 18th Century scientists and captivated the British public. How could sea navigation be made easier, by being able to accurately measure exact points east and west from a fixed meridian line?More on the topic for real 18th century maritime history enthusiasts
For decades from 1714, experts and enthusiasts submitted their ideas to the Board of Longitude in the hope of winning a £20,000 prize - worth £1.5m in today's money.
Now, the full story of attempts to solve the longitude problem is available in Cambridge University's Digital Library - with documents and drawings online. Here - with Cambridge historian Professor Simon Schaffer - look at some of the ideas that failed, and the timepiece credited with providing the solution.
[This message has been edited by Lord Eddie (edited 08-01-2013 @ 04:33 AM).]