Astounding Timepieces

The St. John's Bible

The first hand-illuminated, hand-written bible since the invention of the printing press

The lifelong dream of prolific calligrapher, Donald Jackson, to create a hand-illumanited and hand-written bible came true in 1998 through what is now known as the "Bible project". The Bible... »

Astounding Timepieces, Rites and Rituals | Edited by bboas, Annetta and 2 others

Olomouc's Communist Clock

Tiny communists hammer away on the Olomouc Astronomical Clock

Every day at noon, twelve chimes are hammered out by little "communists" at the Olomouc Astronomical Clock in Olomouc, Prague. The clock was originally built during the medieval era between... »

Astounding Timepieces, Amazing Automata | Edited by Tre, Henry and 2 others

Santa Rosa Ranch Estates, California, US

Great West End Regatta

Hand-powered race of alternative forms of transportation

Meant as a public celebration of mechanical railcar races and costumed performing arts as well as community participation and human ingenuity. Every year in Santa Rosa, California, teams organize... »

Inspired Inventions, Astounding Timepieces | Edited by aerialdomo and Nicholas Jackson

The Colgate Clock

On the Hudson, the fourth largest clock in the world

Among the crowded field of landmarks visible along New York Harbor- the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Verrazano Bridge - the Colgate Clock may not rank high in historical significance. But... »

Inspired Inventions, Astounding Timepieces | Edited by A Facebook user, Nicholas Jackson and 2 others

Medieval Clock at Salisbury Cathedral

Oldest working clock anywhere in the world

In 1928, a clock enthusiast visiting Salisbury Cathedral’s 1884 turret clock noticed something unusual: a second large, wrought iron clock mechanism was also sitting in the tower, apparently... »

Inspired Inventions, Astounding Timepieces, Long Now Locations, The Long Now | Edited by Annetta and Nicholas Jackson

Town of Lindale, Texas, US

Parrot Park

Park filled with machinery that drove the southern agriculture and oil industries forward

If you'd rather walk through history than read about it, a visit to Parrot Park in Lindale, Texas, is suggested. The place seems like a quiet hub of activity with several small groups of people... »

Inspired Inventions, Astounding Timepieces, Retro-Tech | Edited by Vincent van Broadbent and Nicholas Jackson

Torre dell'Orologio

Go inside to really appreciate the 500-year-old technological masterpiece

Commissioned by Doge Agostino Barbarigo in 1493, the glorious Torre dell'Orologio, also known as St. Mark's Clock Tower, or "the Moor's Clocktower," facing into Piazza San Marco is a marvel of... »

Inspired Inventions, Astounding Timepieces, Amazing Automata, Architectural Oddities, Eccentric Homes | Edited by Annetta and Nicholas Jackson

Crypt of Civilization

The world's first time capsule lies behind a welded steel door in Atlanta

The Crypt of Civilization at Oglethorpe University in Atlanta, Georgia, is widely considered to be the first conventional time capsule intended to be opened on a specific date in the future. That... »

Catacombs, Crypts, & Cemeteries, Astounding Timepieces, Long Now Locations, Repositories of Knowledge | Edited by mrobscurity, wythe and 2 others

San Francisco, California, US

Long Now Orrery

A modern mechanical planetary system, part of a 10,000 year clock

Inside the offices of the Long Now Foundation in San Francisco is a small museum dedicated to the art of long-term thinking. Surrounded by diagrams, molds, and assorted mechanical contraptions is... »

Unique Collections, Astounding Timepieces, Instruments of Science, Retro-Tech, Long Now Locations | Edited by Annetta and Dylan

The Sundial of Santo Domingo

The first official clock in North America, it kept time for the Spanish government of Santo Domingo

Before there were cell phones, watches, clocks, and about a million other ways to check the time, there was the sundial. The El Reloj de Sol de Santo Domingo is one of the oldest sundials in... »

Astounding Timepieces, Long Now Locations | Edited by bebeto, Dylan and others