The origin of stopwatches has been the center of many questions. Some claim the ancient Egyptians were behind this invention, which is possible considering that those were the same people that built the pyramids. However, you can't just visit ancient Egypt and ask them to show you a stopwatch. We can go back to the first known stopwatch, which was developed in 1884 by Leon Breitling.
These watches were very expensive seeing as how they were originally made for use in aviation. Though they were used for that, people began to buy and wear them as more of a status symbol than anything else. These original models were created long before anyone had even heard of electronics, and as such they were mechanical, most using a winding mechanism.
The majority of these have a large face, so while they would be slightly awkward to wear as an actual watch it didn't seem to stop anyone from doing it. You have to remember that this was in a time where anything expensive had to be good, and therefore it was a real status symbol.
One stopwatch has been a famous icon for more than half a century. On the popular and long running TV show, 60 Minutes, people have gotten used to the stopwatch that is always present in the corner of the screen. Practically nobody wondered if there was CGI at that point in time, but it is a fact that this was a real stopwatch.
Even though the CGI stopwatch is not needed, it still wasn't thrown out like a piece of garbage. That very stopwatch that was a part of 60 Minutes for so many years now is actually on display at the Smithsonian, just like other famous TV icons like the bathrobe from Hawkeye Pierce. It is surprising for many that a little thing like a stopwatch has had such a big role in a popular TV show.
Stopwatches today have advanced and evolved, but nonetheless the basic premise is the same as it originally was. They still keep track of laps and measure time for laboratory experiments. Now it is possible to track multiple laps and give the time in several countries, which is different than what the original was able to do. However, no matter how advanced stopwatches become, they still have humble roots.
Regardless of what new inventions come out nowadays, they all have one thing in common and that is the fact that there was a long, hard road that had to be traveled beforehand. Next time you are holding a stopwatch, take some time to think about the history of this device and the role it has played in society. You are bound to come up with more examples than have been mentioned in this article. - 30553
These watches were very expensive seeing as how they were originally made for use in aviation. Though they were used for that, people began to buy and wear them as more of a status symbol than anything else. These original models were created long before anyone had even heard of electronics, and as such they were mechanical, most using a winding mechanism.
The majority of these have a large face, so while they would be slightly awkward to wear as an actual watch it didn't seem to stop anyone from doing it. You have to remember that this was in a time where anything expensive had to be good, and therefore it was a real status symbol.
One stopwatch has been a famous icon for more than half a century. On the popular and long running TV show, 60 Minutes, people have gotten used to the stopwatch that is always present in the corner of the screen. Practically nobody wondered if there was CGI at that point in time, but it is a fact that this was a real stopwatch.
Even though the CGI stopwatch is not needed, it still wasn't thrown out like a piece of garbage. That very stopwatch that was a part of 60 Minutes for so many years now is actually on display at the Smithsonian, just like other famous TV icons like the bathrobe from Hawkeye Pierce. It is surprising for many that a little thing like a stopwatch has had such a big role in a popular TV show.
Stopwatches today have advanced and evolved, but nonetheless the basic premise is the same as it originally was. They still keep track of laps and measure time for laboratory experiments. Now it is possible to track multiple laps and give the time in several countries, which is different than what the original was able to do. However, no matter how advanced stopwatches become, they still have humble roots.
Regardless of what new inventions come out nowadays, they all have one thing in common and that is the fact that there was a long, hard road that had to be traveled beforehand. Next time you are holding a stopwatch, take some time to think about the history of this device and the role it has played in society. You are bound to come up with more examples than have been mentioned in this article. - 30553
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If you are researching stopwatches, check out this blog which has good articles on mechanical stopwatch.
