A brief history of timekeeping The science of marking time, from Stonehenge to Atomic Clocks

Orzel (Breakfast with Einstein, 2018) delivers the fascinating history of humanity's assiduous efforts to record time, from antiquity to the present. In researched detail, Orzel begins by examining the mysteries of such ancient sites as Newgrange and Stonehenge and demonstrates how people mark seasonal changes. Much depends (then and still today) on observations and implications of the motion of sun, moon, and stars, which Orzel magnificently explains. Proceeding linearly, Orzel reviews early calendars, including the Mayan calendar, the history of the common calendar in use today, and others still in use, including the Hebrew calendar. The ingenuity of clocks, from water and sand clocks to watches and quantum clocks, is explored in delightful detail. The final chapter peers into possible future developments with Orzel noting that humanity's occupation with marking time will continue to develop in precision and technology and is nowhere near an end. A wonderful look into understanding and recording time, Orzel's latest is appropriate for all readers who are curious about those ticks and tocks that mark nearly every aspect of our lives.