It is not unusual for people to wonder where the stopwatch originated. There are some that would dare say that ancient Egyptians were the creators of the first stopwatch and it is not as far-fetched as it would sound, because many ancient civilizations were responsible for inventing some advanced technological items. If you want proof, just take a look at the pyramids of Egypt and then figure out just how they managed to build them. Since it is impossible to ask the ancient Egyptians to show us a stopwatch of theirs, we can only start with the earliest known stopwatches which were made by Leon Breitling back in 1884.
The first stopwatches of the time were actually developed for use in aviation and were also very expensive. Despite what the intended purpose was, people wore stopwatches as a status symbol. Since this was a time before the age of electronics, these stopwatches were mechanical and most had a winding mechanism.
Many of the original stopwatches had a large face, but even though that is not comfortable to wear, it didn't stop anyone from doing so. People didn't care if it was awkward to wear or not, since they only wanted the status symbol which was expensive to purchase and therefore automatically considered good.
Now let's look at a stopwatch that has been a popular icon for the longest time. For more than fifty years the public has been enthralled by the popular show "60 Minutes". There was always a stopwatch up in the corner of the screen but did you ever think about the fact that they didn't have CGI back then? Yes, that stopwatch was real and for well over fifty years it sat there ticking away. Some would argue that it was the stopwatch that made the show so popular when it aired on September 24, 1968.
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.
Every invention that we have today took a long hard road to get to where it is today, except for maybe the paperclip. When you hold a stopwatch in your hand think about it's history and the role that it has played in our society, because chances are there are a lot more instances than what we have mentioned here in this article.
The first stopwatches of the time were actually developed for use in aviation and were also very expensive. Despite what the intended purpose was, people wore stopwatches as a status symbol. Since this was a time before the age of electronics, these stopwatches were mechanical and most had a winding mechanism.
Many of the original stopwatches had a large face, but even though that is not comfortable to wear, it didn't stop anyone from doing so. People didn't care if it was awkward to wear or not, since they only wanted the status symbol which was expensive to purchase and therefore automatically considered good.
Now let's look at a stopwatch that has been a popular icon for the longest time. For more than fifty years the public has been enthralled by the popular show "60 Minutes". There was always a stopwatch up in the corner of the screen but did you ever think about the fact that they didn't have CGI back then? Yes, that stopwatch was real and for well over fifty years it sat there ticking away. Some would argue that it was the stopwatch that made the show so popular when it aired on September 24, 1968.
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.
Every invention that we have today took a long hard road to get to where it is today, except for maybe the paperclip. When you hold a stopwatch in your hand think about it's history and the role that it has played in our society, because chances are there are a lot more instances than what we have mentioned here in this article.
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