Why are Some Cannons Fired at Noon?
The noon or midday gun is a traditional time signal: a cannon fired precisely at midday so ships in port could set their chronometers correctly.…
Tag: history
Under Every Footstep
A guest blog by Catherine Speakman (Tess of the Vale) History seeps into the soil with the fall of every leaf. All over the world…
A History of Seeing in Eleven Inventions
I have written a short foreword for this excellent book. I start some of my talks with this line, ‘I’m going to try to change…
Some Tips on Home-Hunting in the Tyrol
My thanks to Otta Wenskus for the following tips. They offer practical advice if you are looking for a flat or house near Innsbruck… And…
The Future of Celestial Navigation
A morning glance at a moody and cloudy twilight led me to laying down some of my thoughts about the key challenges facing celestial navigation…