Harrison invents the grasshopper escapement The grasshopper escapement was invented around 1720 by John Harrison. He first implemented this escapement, made of a hard oily wood called lignum vitae (which literally means the wood of life in Latin) into the Brocklesby Park Turret Clock to further reduce the need to lubricate the parts. As a result, the grasshopper escapement is virtually frictionless, meaning that even after almost 300 years, the Brocklesby Park clock is still running. Image Credit Harrison's grasshopper escapement. Still from animation created by John Redfern © The John C Taylor Collection Limited
