During the days where church and kings were above science, everything works with their opinion. That is the way they go “permanent” into history. You have read Story behind U.S. standard railroad gauge. There are some more of them, how measurement of units originated
In ancient times, the body ruled when it came to measuring. The length of a foot, the width of a finger, and the distance of a step were all accepted measurements.
Inch: At first an inch was the width of a man’s thumb. In the 14th century, King Edward II of England ruled that 1 inch equaled 3 grains of barley placed end to end lengthwise.
Foot: In ancient times, the foot was 111/42 inches. Today it is 12 inches, the length of the average man’s foot.
Yard: A yard was originally the length of a man’s belt or girdle, as it was called. In the 12th century, King Henry I of England fixed the yard as the distance from his nose to the thumb of his out-stretched arm. Today it is 36 inches.
Cubit: In ancient Egypt, a cubit was the distance from the elbow to the fingertips. Today a cubit is about 18 inches.
Lick: A Lick was used by the Greeks to measure the distance from the tip of the thumb to the tip of the index finger.
These are all fine, at least they are defined. Some of them change depending on king’s mood. I got an interesting mail, did not try it. Those who are UNIX fans try it and tell me. I have no difficulty to believe this at all, very much possible
Have u ever seen the calendar for September 1752???
If you are working in Unix, try this out. At $ prompt, type: cal 9 1752 See the explanation for what you see.