Folger Friday: Daniel De Simone (2015)

Folger Librarian Daniel de Simone shared an insider perspective on the Folger's exhibition Ships, Clocks and Stars: The Quest for Longitude as part of a series of Talks and Screenings at the Folger. He spoke in the Elizabethan Theatre on Friday, June 19 2015 at 6:30pm.

Daniel de Simone.

Mr. De Simone discussed the challenges of determining longitude at sea and the early instruments that were proposed as a solution. The Longitude Act of 1714 inspired early entrepreneurs and inventors, including clockmaker John Harrison, to put forward a wide-ranging series of inventions, from charts to clocks to chairs. The Ships, Clocks and Stars exhibition included original Harrison timepieces as well as modern reproductions. Mr. De Simone also discussed the challenges of the exhibition and how it related to materials in the Folger collection.