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Why Do Clocks Move Clockwise?

Photograph of Big Ben Clock in London in the evening

Not because of science, but because of tradition. Early sundials in the Northern Hemisphere cast shadows that moved left to right. That pattern became a cultural standard, and centuries later, we still follow it.


When mechanical clocks were later invented, they copied that same motion. The direction stuck, even after timekeeping no longer depended on sunlight.

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National Geographic Backyard Guide to the Night Sky

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