In our most magical moment, we made devices to measure time. At first they were hour glasses, with measured amounts of fine sand. Then at nearly the same time we made water clocks, driven by consistent drops of water. Massive things, dominating a corner of the room. An improvement was to have heavy weights to provide the energy to turn wheels and levers. Clocks were installed in the towers of the city square.

Someone came up with tempered steel springs, coiled up in a fixed case to drive sprockets, and clocks were small enough to be placed on mantles above the fireplace. Just wind them up!

In the 1500s, clock makers made them small enough to be personally carried as a time piece. And this is where it got a little weird. They were small enough to be worn on the wrist, but they weren’t called “wrist-clocks”, they were wrist “watches”. And they were made for women. The men kept their time-pieces in their pockets, but they weren’t called “pocket clocks”, they were “pocket watches”.

It wasn’t until the military started to rely on “synchronized” movement that watches started showed up on men’s wrists. Sailors had to time their “watches” while on duty. Watchmen had to walk their route according to a timed schedule. Perhaps this is why they were called “watches”.

In secondary school I became a “clock-watcher”. But not the one on my wrist. I had 7th period study hall and 3:00 was the end of the day. I would glance at the clock periodically, but from 2:55 onward I was intently focused on the wall clock.

I learned something amazing. When the clock hand was just about to move forward, it moved backward for a half second. Time went backwards, then moved forward, and then we were free.

This was an important lesson!