Stars Of Destiny

Originally Aired: June 16, 1937 Cavalcade of America #87, "Stars Of Destiny," follows the remarkable life of David Rittenhouse, a colonial American who begins as a humble clockmaker and becomes a renowned astronomer and patriot. Born in 1732 at his family's paper mill in Philadelphia, young David faces his first major decision at fourteen when his practical farmer father disapproves of his mathematical pursuits. With his mother's support, David convinces his father to let him make clocks in the woodshed during winter, promising to help on the farm when needed most. His natural genius for astronomy and mathematics transforms simple timekeeping into scientific precision. As an adult, David's reputation for crafting innovative clocks with planetary mechanisms attracts the attention of prominent men including Dr. Smith and John Lucas, the Surveyor General. When Lucas asks David to survey the disputed boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland, the young clockmaker hesitates, torn between his upcoming marriage to Eleanor Colston and his duty to the province. Ultimately persuaded that this is a service he cannot refuse, David accepts the mission that will establish his fame, conducting a survey so accurate it earns the approval of commissioners sent from England.