Here is an extract from the diary of Samuel Pepys for 4 June 1666, written in London. ‘We find the Duke at St James’s, whither he is lately gone to lodge. So walking through the Parke we saw hundreds of people listening to hear the guns.’ These guns were at the battle of the English fleet against the Dutch off the Kent coast, a distance of between 110 and 120 km away. The speed of sound in air is 344 m sTM. How long did it take the sound of the gunfire to reach London?
In this historical excerpt from Samuel Pepys’ diary on June 4, 1666, we glimpse London during a significant event – the battle between the English and Dutch fleets off the Kent coast. As Pepys observes the scene at St James’s, he notes the crowd listening intently to the distant sounds of gunfire. The curiosity arises: … Read more