It may sound crazy, but it's true. Did you know that years ago our ancestors had to use the sun and stars to find their location and translate time? Yes, that's how it was until scientific studies gave life to the time zone system, from which Greenwich Mean Time emerged. Did you know what it is exactly and where we are today with this system?
The basics to remember about the definition and origin
To keep it short, remember that GMT is defined as Greenwich Mean Time. To be a bit more explicit, it is an average of the time the sun crosses the prime meridian of the Royal Observatory at Greenwich. This is often calculated on an annual basis from midnight to midnight. …. Try to find this complete definition and its origins to better understand what it is all about. As for its origins, before you do your research, remember that it was born on November 1, 1884. It is after this date that it was adopted at the international level from 1884 to 1972. This lasted until it was replaced in most countries by Universal Time Coordinated, generally known as UTC. This mutation was made more precisely on January 1st, 1972. This mutation came about because UTC uses atomic clocks to measure time, as well as the rotation of the Earth. Hence it does not need to take into account daylight saving time.
What happened to GMT
Sure, UTC has invaded the world in recent years, but GMT is still used in some countries and also by some entities. Speaking of entities, we have the Met Office, the Royal Navy, and BBC World Service. And as for the countries that still use this time, we have the United Kingdom, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Ireland, the Isle of Man, Greenland, and Iceland. In reality, GMT and UTC are fundamentally similar. Both are based on a 24-hour day and the prime meridian.