Why do clock's hands always rotate clockwise?  Long before we
have watches, people have always tell time by Sun Dials.
Mechanical watches did not become generally available until
early 20-century. The designers of these watches natually make
the hands of their watch to emulate the movement of the shadow
of a sun dial.  Plant a 8-ft long post on the ground. This pole
is called the "gnomon" of the Sundial. Stand in front of it
facing North. Watch the shadow cast by the Sun on the ground. It
looks like this.  The Sun is on the Southern part of the sky. It
casts a shadow of the post on the ground to the North of the
pole. Mark the end point of the shadow as the hour goes by. As
the time passes, the Sun moves from East to West in the sky. The
end point, on the other hand, moves from west to east. The
shadow of the pole, which looks like a line, rotates around the
pole in the clockwise direction.  Is it any wonder that when the
watchmakers began to make watches to compete with sun dials they
make the hands of their