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The history of GMT can be traced right back to the days of the old mariners, sailing their schooners and sloops. They knew how to work out latitude (how far north or south you are from the Equator which is 0 degrees lat) with sextants but it took an awful lot longer to work out longitude (how far east or west you are.) They couldn't use conventional clocks as they used pendulums and pendulums don't work at sea. Eventually some clever Englishman came up with a clock that didn't need a swinging pendulum. With this revolutionary new timepiece, the mariners could, for the first time, accurately work out how far east or west they were. As The British were the first to "crack" longitude, they decided to put 0 degrees longitude, right through London. It's at 0 degrees longitude that GMT (Grenwich MeanTime) is based. Travel east from 0 degrees longitude and the time advances; travel west from it and it's the opposite.

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Q: How did Greenwich Mean Time start?
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Related questions

What country does the time start?

England is in the first time zone. Greenwich mean time.


Where does time start?

Greenwich, England. Greenwich Mean Time is the standard by which the time zones are measured. cool are u sure that it isn't any other countries


What do the letters GMT stand for?

Greenwich Mean Time. sdbjfshbhfbsdhfbhsdbfkagfhgasdgvjhsdhkfgsdkghsghfshfgjksdgfkasdjgfafhgasdjkgfjs


What is the relationship between Greenwich mean time and local mean time?

Greenwich Mean Time is the local mean time at Greenwich, England, which is along the prime meridian (0° longitude).


What clock sets the time?

The clock at the Greenwich Observatory, Greenwich, London, England set the standard time (Greenwich Mean Time (GMT)) and has done for hundreds of years. The Greenwich Observatory is on the Greenwich Mean Line and initially set where 0o Latitude is.


Why are some states in USA ahead by two hours while others are not?

The USA has 6 Time Zones including Alaska and Hawaii. Eastern Time - is (Greenwich Mean Time) GMT -5 hours, ie. 5 hours behind Greenwich, England. Central Time - is (Greenwich Mean Time) GMT -6 hours, ie. 6 hours behind Greenwich, England. Mountain Time - is (Greenwich Mean Time) GMT -7 hours, ie. 7 hours behind Greenwich, England. Pacific Time - is (Greenwich Mean Time) GMT -8 hours, ie. 8 hours behind Greenwich, England. Alaska Time - is (Greenwich Mean Time) GMT -9 hours, ie. 9 hours behind Greenwich, England. Hawaii Time - is (Greenwich Mean Time) GMT -10 hours, ie. 10 hours behind Greenwich, England.


What is the time at the 0 degree longitude accepted as?

Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) is the mean solar time at the Royal Observatoryin Greenwich, London.


What is the full meaning GMT?

G.M.T. is Greenwich Mean Time.Greenwich, England has been the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) since 1884. GMT is sometimes called Greenwich Meridian Time because it is measured from the Greenwich Meridian Line at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Greenwich is the place from where all time zones are measured.


What is the full meaning for gmt?

G.M.T. is Greenwich Mean Time.Greenwich, England has been the home of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) since 1884. GMT is sometimes called Greenwich Meridian Time because it is measured from the Greenwich Meridian Line at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich. Greenwich is the place from where all time zones are measured.


What does gmt stand for regarding watches?

its stands for greenwich mean time. Greenwich is named after Greenwich, England. It is where time mean time is 0. There are a lot of watches that represent and/ or have GMT inscribed on it. ie., the Rolex GMT


What is GMTtime for 2AMPacific time?

2 AM Pacific Standard Time = 10 AM Greenwich Mean Time 2 AM Pacific Daylight Saving Time = 9 AM Greenwich Mean Time


What is universe time?

Universal Time used to be called Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). It is the mean solar time measured at the prime meridian, 0° longitude, which passes through the original location of the Royal Greenwich Observatory in Greenwich, England.