Do you know why it shows 10:10 in each clock ?
1. 10:10 IN EACH CLOCK!
Observations show that in any advert the clock shows the time 10:10. There is no specific or scientific theory behind this, however, people till date has come up with many different possible reasons for the same.
Below are some popular reasons for the time 10:10:
- Symmetrical Look: When the watch is at 10:10 we get a vertical symmetry in the face of the clock.
- Smiley Look: When we look at a watch at 10:10, we see as if the watch is smiling. It is better to have a smiling face, rather than having a crying face when the time is at 8:20.
- Visibility: When the hands are at 10:10, we have the maker's name and other details clearly visible when they are placed above or below the center.
- Victory: When the clock is at 10:10, the hands are similar to the letter "V" which symbolizes victory.
- First Watch: The first watch is made/completed at this time.
- Abraham Lincoln: Many say that it is due to Abraham Lincoln died at that time and so the watches are showing 10:10. But some say that Lincoln is shot at night at around 10:15, and died in the next day morning at around 7:22. History still remains mysterious!
- Hiroshima and Nagasaki Attack: It is because during that time, the first atomic bomb was used and in remembrance of all the victims, all unused clocks or the clocks which are presented in show-cases have the same time of 10:10.
2. HISTORY OF CLOCKS
The history of clocks is very long, and there have been many different types of clocks over the centuries. Not all historians agree on the history of the clock. The word clock was first used in the 14th century (about 700 years ago). It comes from the word for the bell in Latin ("clocca").
- Usage of Sun
The very first method that people used to know the time was by looking at the sun as it moves across the skyline. When the sun was directly overhead in the sky, people considered it as the middle of the day. When the sun was near to the horizon, it was either early morning known as sunrise or evening known as sunset. Presuming time was not very accurate during these days.
- Sundial Clocks
The oldest type of clock is a sundial clock, well known as sun clocks. They were first used around 3,500 B.C. (about 5,500 years ago). Sundials use the sun to tell the time. The shadow of the sun points to a number on a circular disk that shows you the time. As sundials depend on the sun, these clocks had a very limited use during day time and during sunny days of the year.
- Water Clocks
Around 1400 B.C. (about 3,400 years ago), water clocks were invented in Egypt. The name for a water clock is clepsydra (pronounced KLEP-suh-druh). Water clocks were famous in Greece, where they were further improved many times over the period of time. Water clocks could perform better than sundials as people could easily use it during the night and all thought the year.
- Pendulum Clocks
The pendulum swings left and right, and as it swings, it turns a wheel with teeth. The turning wheel turns the hour and minute hands on the clock. At first pendulum clocks, the pendulum used to have a wide angle. As it improved with time, many changes it has undergone and the angle of the pendulum was narrowed.
The first pendulum clock with external batteries was developed around 1840. By 1906, the batteries were inside the clock.
