Since the Middle Ages, candles have been used to mark the passage of time. As the candle alarm clock burns, the nails fall into the metal basin and make a loud clatter. And this handy invention even comes with a built-in snooze feature. Don’t want to get up? Just let it burn down to the next nail.
Monks across Europe used them to mark the length of their prayers or serve as reminders for the next activity of the day. The candle clock is, in a real sense, a tool used in the predecessor to our understanding of a quiet time.