In 1849 the American Nautical Almanac office was established by a
Congressional appropriation. The title of this publication is
somewhat misleading in suggesting a simple enlargement of the
family almanac which the sailor is to hang up in his cabin for
daily use. The fact is that what started more than a century ago
as a nautical almanac has since grown into an astronomical
ephemeris for the publication of everything pertaining to times,
seasons, eclipses, and the motions of the heavenly bodies. It is
the work in which astronomical observations made in all the great
observatories of the world are ultimately utilized for scientific
and public purposes. Each of the leading nations of western Europe
issues such a publication. When the preparation and publication of
the American ephemeris was decided upon the office was first
established in Cambridge, the seat of Harvard University, because
there could most readily be secured the technical knowledge of
mathematics and theoretical astronomy necessary for the work.
A field of activity was thus opened, of which a number of able
young men who have since earned distinction in various walks of
life availed themselves. The head of the office, Commander Davis,
adopted a policy well fitted to promote their development.
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