The railways invented the time you live by
Until 1840 every English town kept its own noon, and nobody minded. Then something started moving faster than the sun — and the clocks had to be argued into agreement.
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Why a minute has sixty seconds
Sixty is a strange number to hang a civilisation's timekeeping on. The answer runs from Sumer to a Kassel workshop to a French decree that made noon five o'clock — and lasted seventeen months.
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Does the timer keep running when you lock your phone?
Your phone would rather your apps stopped running. Here is what actually happens to a stopwatch when the screen goes dark — and the design trade-off behind the answer.
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How the stopwatch got precise
Six officials timed the same Olympic race and got four different answers. The story of how measuring a few seconds stopped being a matter of opinion.
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Lap or split? The difference, and when each one matters
Two numbers, one button press. Understanding which is which turns a list of times into something you can actually learn from.
