An acre was originally defined as the size of a field a farmer could plow in a single day. In practice, this meant a field that could be plowed in a morning, since the oxen had to be rested in the afternoon.
Random legacy
Our rules and frameworks have odd origins.
According to EU law, all members must keep their budget deficit to within 3% of GDP. You’d think this was based on sophisticated modelling and forecasting, but actually Guy Abeille, then a senior Budget Ministry official, came up with the figure in less than an hour. As he explains, he needed “an easy rule that he could deploy in his discussions with ministers who kept coming into his office to demand money.” And luckily for him the number 3 was “somewhat reminiscent of the Trinity.”
In 1974, the three-day week in Britain meant that Saturday became a full working day – limiting attendance at football grounds. Evening matches were a no-go, given clubs were banned from using floodlights. So the only solution was to play matches on Sunday. The idea was initially unpopular – Brian Clough said “if Sunday football comes in, I walk out” – but it 50 years later it is now a permanent fixture of English football.
Japan drives on the left side of the road due to a historical tradition from the Edo period (1603-1867) when samurai, who wore their swords on their left hips, kept to the left to avoid accidental clashes and potential duels.
As crazy as it sounds, the Korean language was invented by one man’s kindness. In the 1400s, many lower class Koreans were illiterate due to the complexity of their language Hanja (effectively literary Chinese). So to promote literacy among the masses, the fourth king of the Joseon dynasty, Sejong the Great, personally created and promulgated a new alphabet known as Hangul, which has remained in place ever since.
London taxis must have a turning circle not greater than 8.535 m (28 ft). Why? To be able to navigate the small roundabout outside the Savoy Hotel.
Our customary map of the world, the Mercator projection, is wildly inaccurate. Africa appears to be the same size as Greenland, when in fact it is 14 times larger. Antarctica seems to be the biggest continent, but it’s actually the third smallest and dwarfed by both the Americas. The map was first used by explorers because it preserves angles and shapes (for navigation), but as a result it massively distorts the size of land masses.
The Mona Lisa became the world’s most famous painting only after it was stolen. Before its theft in 1911, it was celebrated not widely known outside the art world. But its disappearance prompted an international media frenzy and a frantic criminal investigation, and two years passed before it was discovered.
There are 15% more same-sex couples in US places that had gold rushes (e.g. California) than counties that didn’t: rush counties were isolated, mostly uninhabited and lacked strong formal institutions, which helped shaping pro-LGBT attitudes.
UK homes that face each other at the rear are required to be built 21 metres apart. This comes from a 1902 regulation drafted by designers who determined this was closest they could be to each other before they could see the other’s nipples through their shirts.
In the 1800s citizens needed a full day’s horseback ride to reach polling sites after Sunday church.