Longitude Prize

John Harrison was the man who solved the problem of measuring longitude. The measurement of longitude was a problem that came into sharp focus as people began making transoceanic voyages. When you are on a boat in the middle of the ocean, you need to know where you are!

Today a sailor has a number of choices, including the [satellite navigation system]?, GPS. The problem is still more acute when you are afloat in fog and think you are in the middle of the ocean. That was what happened to [Admiral Cloudsley Shovel]? and his fleet in 1707: they ran aground and over 2000 men were killed.

That incident in the general context of British maritime endeavors led to the establishment of a prize for finding a method of measuring longitude. It was worth around a million dollars or so in today's money