Astronomer. Born in London. He became Astronomer Royal in 1811, and during his tenure, he substantially modernised the Greenwich Observatory. In 1833 he oversaw the installation of the time ball on the roof (probably, the first public time signal in the UK). The ball dropped daily at 1:00 p.m., and was intended to aid mariners on the Thames to synchronise their marine chronometers.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
John Pond
Astronomer. Most famous for his observations of "Baily's beads" during a total eclipse of the Sun. Baily was also a major figure in the early history of the Royal Astronomical Society, as one of th...
One of the Special Commissioners for the Great Exhibition 1851. Born in Bengal. Chemist. 1st Baron Playfair. Died at home in South Kensington.
Person, Politics & Administration, Science, Bengal, Scotland
Surveyor. Born Reading. Served in Canada and on his return worked on the ordnance survey in Southampton. Died Reigate. the picture source has a bio.
Surveyor. Born Plymouth, godson of Samuel Johnson. Served in South Carolina. 1791 joined the Ordnance Trigonometrical Survey and became its director in 1798. Thus a very important figure in the wor...
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