01 March - 07 March 2026
Starting 1 March 2026
Knocker uppers and candle clocks: how people woke up before alarm clocksFrom candles that drop metal nails to the knocker uppers of industrial Britain, people found clever ways to wake up on time.- ⏰ Before alarm clocks existed, people still needed to wake up on time for work, so they invented clever tricks.
- 🪟 In Britain, people called knocker uppers walked the streets early in the morning, tapping on windows with long sticks to wake workers.
- 🫛 Some knocker uppers even blew dried peas through a tube at bedroom windows to rattle them awake!
- 🕯️ Others used candle clocks, candles that melted down and dropped a metal nail onto a plate with a clang at the right time.
- 🏭 These jobs were especially important during the Industrial Revolution, when factory workers could not be late.
⏰ Fun Fact!
The first mechanical alarm clock was invented in 1787 by a man named Levi Hutchins but there was a big problem! It could ONLY ring at 4:00 in the morning and you could not change the time at all! It took almost 100 more years before people could finally set an alarm clock to whatever time they wanted!
