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Australia - Semaphore

The Time Ball tower at the Adelaide coastal suburb of Semaphore was completed by December 1874 and the time service began on August 2 1875.

 

The solid stone Time Ball Tower dubbed ‘The Sentinel of Semaphore’. At 1pm daily, the black ball drops, allowing ships to adjust their chronometers, accurate clocks which were vital for navigation. Similar towers were set up in port cities around the world; the first was at Greenwich in England in 1833.

 

Balls were dropped at 1pm, a time chosen because at noon astronomers were busy observing the meridian; American time balls, however, usually dropped at noon.

 

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Uploaded on January 8, 2010
Taken on December 26, 2009