AHC/WI: Two separate Prime Meridians?

The Uchronian · Nov 21, 2014

Kinda revisiting this idea out of pure curiosity, more than anything.

As it says on the tin....what if, at some point, there were two separate Prime Meridians, for some political reason or the other?

The POD can be anytime after the discovery of the Americas, up until the conclusion of the OTL International Meridian Conference in October, 1884.

Bonus points awarded if there is still a London meridian that runs through Greenwich, and/or a recognized secondary meridian that runs through somewhere unexpected(like St. Petersburg, for example).

Double bonus points awarded if the above London meridian is the secondary meridian, used by only certain countries(like the *U.S.A. and *Canada for instance).

Custard Cream Monster · Nov 21, 2014

The French kick up more of a stink at the conference?

Jonathan · Nov 21, 2014

If Catholic stayed the prime religion around the world, we could see the Pope demanding that, OTL 12th meridian, which runs through Rome is made the Prime Meridian as respect to the Holy Capital

aktarian · Nov 21, 2014

Honestly, I think once countries start trading on such scale plus industrial revolution etc there will be harmonisation and they'll agree on single division. How it's done may differ but I honestly don't see each country maintaining their own separate grid.

WanderingWanderer · Nov 21, 2014

Heh, reminds me of that Tintin comic where they're following an old map (to find treasure of course!) and were mistaken since the Prime Meridian used wasn't Greenwich, but a French one (Paris? Darn it, I have to rummage through my old boxes to go find it!).

I honestly don't know what the POD required for two Prime Meridians to be the norm, maybe permanent state of war where one side uses Greenwich and one uses Paris. Maybe it's kinda like roads and steering wheel in cars; for most Commonwealth countries we follow the British (wheel on right side), others use the opposite (wheel on left). I could never understand why the world just doesn't agree to one standard when it comes to that issue

aktarian · Nov 21, 2014

WanderingWanderer said:
I honestly don't know what the POD required for two Prime Meridians to be the norm, maybe permanent state of war where one side uses Greenwich and one uses Paris. Maybe it's kinda like roads and steering wheel in cars; for most Commonwealth countries we follow the British (wheel on right side), others use the opposite (wheel on left). I could never understand why the world just doesn't agree to one standard when it comes to that issue

Because one makes more sense and rest sticks to other one out of tradition and not to be seen to be bowing to "other side"?

ECavalier · Nov 21, 2014

Hello

Long time lurker first time poster.

Correct me if I'm wrong Mr Aktarian but as far as I'm aware there are almost no advantages to either side of the road and that the minute few I know of mostly advantage left hand driving (not that I would be biased in anyway

).

As for two prime meridians, I believe I once heard talk of one centred on Mecca.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca_Time

area11 · Nov 21, 2014

EnglishCavalier said:
Long time lurker first time poster.

Correct me if I'm wrong Mr Aktarian but as far as I'm aware there are almost no advantages to either side of the road and that the minute few I know of mostly advantage left hand driving (not that I would be biased in anyway ).

As for two prime meridians, I believe I once heard talk of one centred on Mecca.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca_Time

I think he's just being sarcastic as his statement can be applied to either side.

The Uchronian · Nov 21, 2014

EnglishCavalier said:
Long time lurker first time poster.

Correct me if I'm wrong Mr Aktarian but as far as I'm aware there are almost no advantages to either side of the road and that the minute few I know of mostly advantage left hand driving (not that I would be biased in anyway ).

As for two prime meridians, I believe I once heard talk of one centred on Mecca.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mecca_Time

Hello, and welcome to AH.com.

Mecca Time, huh? Interesting, though I recall that Tony Jones's Gurkani Alam TL had the (primary) Prime Meridian running thru a town in India, of all places.

Simon · Nov 21, 2014

Jonathan said:
If Catholic stayed the prime religion around the world, we could see the Pope demanding that, OTL 12th meridian, which runs through Rome is made the Prime Meridian as respect to the Holy Capital

If doing something like that I could half see them pushing for the line to run through Jerusalem.

fortyseven · Nov 22, 2014

There were multiple prime meridians. The French continued using theirs until 1911.

Tallest Skil · Nov 22, 2014

What about a Prime Meridian decided upon for reasons of cartography?

Greenwich cuts off part of Chukotka when placed in the center of the map, and 0º0º is out in the meaningless ocean.

Why not a Prime Meridian that slips right through the Bering Straight? That puts it close to Berlin, I believe.

The Uchronian · Nov 22, 2014

fortyseven said:
There were multiple prime meridians. The French continued using theirs until 1911.

Technically true, but only France really used that one for the most part.

Tallest Skil said:
What about a Prime Meridian decided upon for reasons of cartography?

Greenwich cuts off part of Chukotka when placed in the center of the map, and 0º0º is out in the meaningless ocean.

Why not a Prime Meridian that slips right through the Bering Straight? That puts it close to Berlin, I believe.

Good idea. In fact, last I checked, this same meridian would actually go right thru the town of Randers in Denmark. So maybe this same meridian might be colloquially called the "Randers Line", or something?

Michael B · Nov 22, 2014

It would be easy to have two, a European one and a Chinese one. Establish them by the end of the eighteenth century as per OTL and you can be sure that neither London/Paris/Rome and Beijing will back down and use the other one.

Simreeve · Nov 22, 2014

WanderingWanderer said:
Heh, reminds me of that Tintin comic where they're following an old map (to find treasure of course!) and were mistaken since the Prime Meridian used wasn't Greenwich, but a French one (Paris? Darn it, I have to rummage through my old boxes to go find it!).

Maybe Dunkirk? I know that the metre was originally defined in terms of a line running from the North Pole through that port...

H'mm, when an airplane flies a 'great circle' route is that a case of "pi in the sky"?