Eastern Standard Time
NY
InventionInventor
Cornelius Vanderbilt
Date
Description Show more
The early railroads needed to have printed schedules so that people would know when the trains were running. Up to that point, time was told locally. Of course, there were multiple accidents including a major one in August 1853 when two trains collided on the same track killing 14 people because their engineers didn't coordinate their watches. This led to a General Time Convention of Railway companies which in turn led to multiple petitions for Congress to have time zones throughout the US. They were not interested. So, the railroads went ahead and owned their own time zones. So, when Vanderbilt built Grand Central he established Eastern Standard Time and embedded a large clock off of the main waiting room.
The early railroads needed to have printed schedules so that people would know when the trains were running. Up to that point, time was told locally. Of course, there were multiple accidents including a major one in August 1853 when two trains collided on the same track killing 14 people because their engineers didn't coordinate their watches. This led to a General Time Convention of Railway companies which in turn led to multiple petitions for Congress to have time zones throughout the US. They were not interested. So, the railroads went ahead and owned their own time zones. So, when Vanderbilt built Grand Central he established Eastern Standard Time and embedded a large clock off of the main waiting room.
Tours
The Art & Architecture of Park Avenue from Lever to Grand Central
Map View
Grand Central Terminal
89 E 42nd St, New York, NY, US 10017
Carved on the ceiling just before you head into the main terminal
Nearby
| Puttin' On the Ritz | 19 feet |
| East Side Access | 19 feet |
| Grand Central Terminal | 21 feet |
| Grand Central Clock | 21 feet |
| Oyster Bar | 21 feet |
| Cornelius Vanderbilt | 293 feet |
| Sky Ceiling | 383 feet |
| Hercules, Mercurius and Minerva | 389 feet |
| Pershing Square | 401 feet |
