Utc
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Yes, I do believe indeed it is because of the French. In the same way as NATO E3s also have 'OTAN' written on them. Or was that so you can read it in your mirror?
By the way, isn't it Co-ordinated Universal Time?
By the way, isn't it Co-ordinated Universal Time?
'nough said
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According to the Nato site France are in - see http://www.nato.int/structur/countries.htm
The Belgians, Canadians and Luxembourgs speak French too.
The Belgians, Canadians and Luxembourgs speak French too.
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Time is one of the remits of the International Telecommunicaitons Union; this is the (UN, I think) body that regulates comms worldwide - and it's dominated by the French!
Hence, Mayday, Pan, Securite, etc.
Hence, Mayday, Pan, Securite, etc.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
I believe it's actually Universal Time (Coordinated). Apparently you should only use UT unless you have a timepiece connected to one of these radio broadcasts that's accurate to "one second in a million years", which will "coordinate" it. But in reality nobody really gives a damn.
Man of the Marsh
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Ah, now this is one of those flowering perennials that is always fun to discuss. As with all international "agreements" a compromise lies at the heart of it and, yes, the French were involved. With the advent of high-precision time pieces and the need for absolute global synchronisation, a meeting was held in 1970 to find a world standard, as the Earth's rotation is a bit variable.
GMT, smacking as it did of past British naval dominance, had to have a more politically correct name in the new order of things. Coordinated Universal Time (CUT) was the solution. Unfortunately, this was far too Anglo-Saxon for the French who preferred Temps Universel Coordonné (TUC). Unfortunately, this acronym was already too familiar to British households of the period, who had to stock-up on candles to supplement their electricity supplies, etc. So everyone agreed on UTC, rearranged the words according to ethnic taste, and the world lived happily coordinated ever after.
For those interested in the technical aspects of UTC, this link is worth a browse. Those who remain affectionately attached to GMT or Zulu, can find a splendid account of its origins here.
Hope this is instructive
GMT, smacking as it did of past British naval dominance, had to have a more politically correct name in the new order of things. Coordinated Universal Time (CUT) was the solution. Unfortunately, this was far too Anglo-Saxon for the French who preferred Temps Universel Coordonné (TUC). Unfortunately, this acronym was already too familiar to British households of the period, who had to stock-up on candles to supplement their electricity supplies, etc. So everyone agreed on UTC, rearranged the words according to ethnic taste, and the world lived happily coordinated ever after.
For those interested in the technical aspects of UTC, this link is worth a browse. Those who remain affectionately attached to GMT or Zulu, can find a splendid account of its origins here.
Hope this is instructive
