Why was greenwich ,london selected as the location for zero degress longitude?

Answer 1

As the United Kingdom grew into an advanced maritime nation, British mariners kept at least one timepiece on GMT in order to calculate their longitude from the Greenwich meridian, which was by convention considered to have longitude zero degrees. This did not affect shipboard time itself, which was still solar time. This, combined with mariners from other nations drawing from Nevil Maskelyne's method of lunar distances based on observations at Greenwich, eventually led to GMT being used world-wide as a reference time independent of location. Most time zones were based upon this reference as a number of hours and half-hours "ahead of GMT" or "behind GMT".

Greenwich Mean Time was adopted across the island of Great Britain by the Railway Clearing House in 1847, and by almost all railway companies by the following year. It was gradually adopted for other purposes, but a legal case in 1858 held "local mean time" to be the official time. This changed in 1880, when GMT was legally adopted throughout the island of Great Britain. GMT was adopted on the Isle of Man in 1883, Jersey in 1898 and Guernsey in 1913. Ireland adopted Greenwich Mean Time in 1916, supplanting Dublin Mean Time.[1] Hourly time signals from Greenwich Observatory were first broadcast on 5 February 1924.

Answer 2

Because at the time london thought it was the only imortant country in the world.

Answer 3

Zero degrees was chosen to go through the Royal Observatory ...

http://www.gpsinformation.net/main/greenwich.htm

Answer 4

It was completely arbitrary and has no ultimate significance other than the Brits were badasses when it was selected as the touchstone.

Answer 5

Because, they were in power during those days. I dont think there is any special geographic advantage of greenwitch. Any place would have been equally suitable.

Answer 6

probably because of the earths axis. the meridian would have to be at a certain point .