What was the first clock? episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 3, 2026 · 12 MIN

What was the first clock?

from History for Kids / History's Not Boring: The Kids History Podcast · host SCL

Imagine waking up thousands of years ago with zero idea what time it is! No phones, no alarms, no watches—how would you ever know when to meet your friends or go to school? Join Mira and Finn on History's Not Boring as they time-travel to discover how humanity invented the clock! First, we head to Ancient Egypt, where giant seventy-foot stone obelisks were used as massive sundials. But what happens when the sun goes down? Enter the dripping water clocks used to time talking lawyers in ancient Greece, and King Alfred's brilliant burning candle clocks! You'll be amazed by a forty-foot water-powered clock tower in China, and find out why the famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan needed exactly eighteen hourglasses on his ship to sail around the world. Finally, learn how medieval monks built the very first ticking mechanical clocks using heavy iron weights, turning gears, and loud bells. We'll even uncover the hilarious history of "knocker-uppers"—people whose actual job was to shoot dried peas at your bedroom window to wake you up! Tune in for an incredibly timely adventure!

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published Aug 3, 2026

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Imagine waking up thousands of years ago with zero idea what time it is! No phones, no alarms, no watches—how would you ever know when to meet your friends or go to school? Join Mira and Finn on History's Not Boring as they time-travel to discover how humanity invented the clock! First, we head to Ancient Egypt, where giant seventy-foot stone obelisks were used as massive sundials. But what happens when the sun goes down? Enter the dripping water clocks used to time talking lawyers in ancien...

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What was the first clock?

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This episode is 12 minutes long.

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This episode was published on August 3, 2026.

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