#330 | A Short History of Measurements
English Learning for Curious Minds
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How to Measure Distance and Area
In France, land was measured by how many baskets of seeds would be required to sow it. This basket size was called a cétier and the agreed unit became known as the furlong. Both measurements were what we'd call elastic measurements - they change depending on who is measuring them. For most of human history, units of time have had different lengths. Using a similar form of measurement, their hour could vary from 38 minutes in the depths of winter to 82 minutes in the middle of summer when there's more sunlight.
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