Alarm Clock

The alarm clock is one of the most needed as well as probably the most despised item in the house.  People depend on them to be awakened on time, yet when the alarm faithfully rings, what it gets is not appreciation of its efficiency or gratitude for its timely reminder, but very often a curse and a vicious hit on its head to stop the sound.  The animosity to the alarm clock is at its maximum on Mondays when most people are reluctant to face a fresh week of work.  Most people react to the alarm clock, not as an inanimate object that is just doing what it was asked to do, but as some personal enemy who is working with a grudge to awaken people.  If the alarm clock had the power of speech, it would possibly protest strongly at this ill treatment.   

The history of the alarm clock is indeed interesting.  The Greeks are credited with developing the earliest alarm clock.  Their invention could keep the time and set off an alarm as well.  The Greek clock invented in the middle of the third century B.C.  was designed in water; the level of rising water would depict the time and when the water came in contact with a mechanical bird, a whistle would be triggered to sound the alarm. 

The first modern alarm clock was developed in 1787 by Levi Hutchins., a professional clock-maker from New England.  His alarm clock was developed as an answer to an exclusive personal requirement.  Hutchins was an extremely disciplined man and wanted to be up at four a.m.  every day, but was unable to do so on his own and would invariably over-sleep.  Historically people would be guided by sunlight to get awake, but in New England, there was no possibility of sunlight at the early hour of four.  Hence, Hutchinson decided to build an alarm clock just for himself.  He was the first person to visualize the concept of an alarm function to the normal clock.  Hutchinson built a wooden cabinet in which he assembled one of the brass clocks made by him.  He also fixed a gear mechanism, known as a pinion, inside the box and set it up in such a way that when the minute-hand of the clock reached the pinion at four o'clock, a bell was activated which was loud enough to wake the punctual clock-maker.  Hutchinson however was totally oblivious to the fact that he had made one of the biggest inventions of the modern age and felt no need to exploit his alarm clock commercially.  Hutchinson's clock therefore could ring only at four in the morning - a fact, which somewhat limited the utility of his product.  His objective in designing the clock was limited merely to not over-sleeping; having achieved that, Hutchinson died at ninety-four, a contented and happy man.   

It was left to Seth Thomas and others after him to develop an alarm clock that could be set to ring at the time of one's choice.  The alarm clock still remains one of the most indispensable objects of personal usage; with the advent of technology the clock is now housed in computers, phones and television.  However, the spirit of the alarm clock and man's love-hate relationship with it, remain unchanged.