The intersection of a meridian (longitude) and a parallel (latitude) provides a precise "address" on Earth.
Without a reliable clock that could keep time at sea, sailors could not compare the time where they were to the time at the home port (the Prime Meridian). This led to the famous "Longitude Prize" offered by the British government, eventually solved by John Harrison’s invention of the marine chronometer—a clock accurate enough to carry a meridian's time across rough seas. meridian line
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