Astronomer. Born in London. He became Astronomer Royal in 1811, and during his tenure, he substantially modernised the Greenwich Observatory. In 1833 he oversaw the installation of the time ball on the roof (probably, the first public time signal in the UK). The ball dropped daily at 1:00 p.m., and was intended to aid mariners on the Thames to synchronise their marine chronometers.
Credit for this entry to: Alan Patient of www.plaquesoflondon.co.uk
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