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This paper investigates the adoption, diffusion, and long-run impact
of the public mechanical clock, one of the most important
high-technology machines in history, on European economic growth
and development. We avoid endogeneity by considering the relationship
between the adoption of such clocks and an instrumental
variable based on the appearance of repeated solar eclipses. Solar
eclipses triggered a medieval cultural movement in which people
sought to understand the motion of stars and clocks, which
resulted in astronomic instruments and symbols of prestige. We
find a significant increase in population, especially between 1500
and 1700, in early adopter cities.
