This laser projected from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich, in London, England, marks the prime meridian, dividing Earth’s Eastern and Western Hemispheres and helping travelers to chart their courses by establishing a universally adopted 0 degrees longitude. The meridian itself is essentially an imaginary line, arbitrarily placed. By the early 19th century, most maritime countries had established their own prime meridians to aid in navigation. But on this date in 1884, delegates from 25 nations met at a conference in Washington, DC, where they established Greenwich as the international standard for mapping and timekeeping. The decision made sense, as the Greenwich meridian was already widely used. But there was one holdout: France abstained from the vote and used its own prime meridian for several decades before eventually joining other countries in recognizing the Greenwich meridian.
‘Hello’ from zero degrees longitude
Today in History
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Make way for robots
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Harvest season begins
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Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the institution s 175th anniversary
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Diwali
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The Crown Jewel of the North Atlantic
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Barn owl, England
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Salzburg, Austria
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Santorini, Greece
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Through an artist s eyes
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Freeze frame
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Ancient theater of Epidaurus, Greece
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Why’s it called a spelling ‘bee,’ anyhow?
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Celebrating whales—and a whale of a tale
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Grandparents Day
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Come out of your shell for World Turtle Day
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Rosa Parks Day
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Where fire meets water
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Did they forget to fly south?
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A story of wind and ice
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Happy 800th, Salisbury Cathedral
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GOAL!
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Aw shucks, it’s oyster season in Galway
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World Penguin Day
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It s Teacher Appreciation Week
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Albion Falls, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
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Mesmerizing murmuration
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Light show at the skatepark
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‘Ocian in view! O! The joy.’
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Let the Highland games begin
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Joan charges Riverside Park