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3 votes

Why does the US keep survey miles and feet?

Back in 1959, it was because the US had accumulated a lot of survey data using the older definition of the foot. For most people, the 2 PPM discrepancy between the two types of “foot” went unnoticed; …
dan04's user avatar
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3 votes

Why does the statute mile have the length that it has?

Because furlongs and poles were already-standardized units that predated a c. 1300 measurement reform. These units couldn't be changed without screwing up everyone's property records. …
dan04's user avatar
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