Special Episode: History and time through the lens of twelve clocks with David Rooney

The Accutron Show

In this special episode dedicated to history, our hosts talk to writer, historian, and lifelong clock enthusiast, David Rooney, about how the meaning, perception, and use of time have changed since its creation. Together they also discuss Rooney's latest book About Time: A History of Civilization in Twelve Clocks, captivating, surprising history of timekeeping and how it has shaped our world.

Episode Highlights

8:22 There is something about the devices that move, which act as replicas of the moving planets, the heavenly bodies and the human body. Maybe I’m being too romantic about that; some think that there is something about mechanical watches that makes them alive.

25:40 A British house builder in 1905 had the moral urge to get people out of bed early in the morning; the way to solve the problem for him was to change the hands of clocks and watches for a quarter of the population of Earth, which we still do today twice a year.

27:45 Every clock or watch is important to somebody. There are some of course which the wold finds important; but what about those cheap clocks bought in the 30’s? Each have a story that is powerful for the people that owned them.

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