The Royal Observatory in Greenwich was founded by King Charles II in 1675 to improve the art of navigation at sea, in particular the problem of finding longitude by observing the stars and the Moon. The building was designed by Christopher Wren on a hill in Greenwich Park, and John Flamsteed became the first Astronomer Royal. Over the centuries its observations produced star catalogs and nautical almanacs. In 1884 an international conference chose the meridian passing through its Airy Transit Circle as the prime meridian of the world, so that Greenwich Mean Time became a global reference. The site is now a museum and part of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.
Before and after
- from July 1674 to April 1678Messina revolt
- 8 November 1674Death of John Milton
- from 1675 to 1679Scanian War
- 1675Construction of St Paul's Cathedral
- 1675Construction of Royal Observatory
- 31 March 1675Birth of Benedict XIV
- from 20 June 1675 to 12 April 1678King Philip's War
- 15 December 1675Death of Johannes Vermeer
- 1676Construction of Skokloster Castle
More in Art, literature & culture
- 1600Rise of Baroque music
- 1616Construction of Sultan Ahmed Mosque
- 1670Construction of avenue des Champs-Élysées
- 17th centuryRise of ukiyo-e
- 25 April 1719Publication of Robinson Crusoe
- October 1745Publication of God Save the King
The era
This moment belongs to the Early modern world (1500 CE to 1760 CE), voyages, printing and new ideas. You can also browse everything in the 17th century.