The Prime Meridian Conference

The Prime Meridian Conference, held in 1884 in Washington, D.C., was a meeting of international representatives to establish a standardized system for Earth's longitudinal division. The main goal was to select a single, universally accepted prime meridian (0° longitude) to improve global navigation and timekeeping. Prior to the conference, different countries used various meridians, causing confusion. The conference designated the Greenwich Observatory in England as the prime meridian, creating the foundation for the global coordinate system we use today, including longitude, time zones, and accurate mapping.