America’s first time zone
As Harvard celebrates its 375th anniversary, the Gazette is examining key moments and developments over the University’s broad and compelling history. In 1849, New England’s growing railroads faced a deadly problem. The rails were getting busier, and the number of wrecks was climbing. The crashes killed people, and the public was grumbling that the railroads were cutting corners. To the railroads, though, the problem wasn’t money, but time. There were too many time standards: Boston time, Worcester time, Springfield time. Train conductors of the day set their clocks by the time at their main departure station, found locally by marking the stars or the sun’s passage in the sky. That meant time differed for trains originating in towns to their east or west. The further away the towns were, the bigger the time difference in clocks aboard the trains. With many lines having just a single track, the trains traveled in both directions. Knowing...