“What is the thing that we use the most in our daily life and that bothers us the most?” Alarms are probably the first thing that comes to our mind when we think about it. These alarms often save our day and sometimes ruin our sleep. So, how could people wake up at any time to fulfill their duties in the absence of these alarms, which make themselves felt in every aspect of our lives?
Before looking for an answer to this question, we need to touch on how the first “primitive timer”, namely the clock, was found. The ancient Greeks and Egyptians developed sundials and obelisks that worked by the movement of the shadow according to the movements of the Sun. By the 1500s, humanity produced hourglasses and water clocks. Nowadays, we are dependent on the alarms we use from our smartphones.
If there were no inventions and they had to wake up on time, they drank lots of water and went to bed.
Thanks to this drinking of water, people were able to get things done just before sunrise. This waking system, called the bladder control system, was also used by Native Americans at the time.
Before the invention of the clock, they used the spiked candle.
Candle, one of the first inventions of antiquity, could be used both as warming and as a reminder. Similar to this reminder-based alarm system, a nail was attached to the desired time interval in a spiked candle, and when the melted wax drops reached the level of the nail, they would fall under the candle holder and warn.
So how did the first alarm clock appear?
The idea of alarm dates back to the Ancient Greek physicist and mathematician Ktesibios. Ktesibios is the inventor of the water clock, which works by filling the tank with water with a certain rhythm. This is the first alarm clock, but it was not very useful for alarm as it did not have enough noise.
Then the philosopher Plato, whose ideas are still discussed today, invented his own alarm clock. This alarm is the water clock and the first successful alarm clock to wake people up with its sound.
The alarm clock produced by Plato made the Greek engineering school Ctesibius more efficient. Ctesibius did this by adding a dial and a pointer to the alarm, making the alarm programmable. Thanks to Ctesibius, humans were able to control when they would wake for the first time in history.
Later in history, the Ancient Greeks invented the first mechanical clock. This invention spread to every civilization in the world over time.
How did people wake up after the industrial revolution?
After the Industrial Revolution, arousers began to take an active role in England and Ireland. These awakening people worked by hitting the window of the person to be awakened with a long stick until they woke him up. The job was also in high demand by working people, as wakers provided a cheaper service for a few pence than an alarm clock. When the price of the alarm clock became affordable and became widespread among the people, this profession came to an end.
By October 24, 1876, American watchmaker Seth E Thomas; patented a mechanically winding alarm clock that could be set at any time, which could be considered modern. This clock was the forerunner of pre-technology alarm clocks. Today, the alarm system has become so small and practical that it can enter our pockets via our smartphones.
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