Six-minute summary: John Harrison

Hello readers! It’s time for another six-minute summary. Today we’re exploring the life of John Harrison, an eighteenth-century English clockmaker. If you’ve heard of him already, it is likely in the context of the “longitude problem” which hindered ocean navigation for most of human history. John Harrison’s solution was a clock with unparallelled time-keeping capabilities … Continue reading Six-minute summary: John Harrison →

Six-minute summary: Ada Lovelace

Hello readers! It’s time for a six-minute summary. Ada Lovelace was one of the first computer programmers – an impressive achievement, given that she was born in 1815, well over a century before the modern concept of a "computer” was established. She worked with the eminent mathematician Charles Babbage, who had designed an “Analytical Engine” … Continue reading Six-minute summary: Ada Lovelace →