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Why are there 1760 yards in a mile?

Why are there 1760 yards in a mile?
by Tom Cornell on 03/03/05 at 11:48:24

???  Why are there 1760 yards in a mile? Is there a particular reason? ???


Re: Why are there 1760 yards in a mile?
by Robert Fogt on 03/03/05 at 17:18:32

The word mile comes from the Latin word mille, which means 1000, as the original mile was defined as 1000 paces of a Roman Legion.

The definition has changed many times over the years, but it eventually (in the year 1592) settled to being defined as 5280 feet. Which is 1760 yards, as there are 3 feet in a yard.

The definition of the mile has not changed since 1592, but the definition of the foot has, so the actual length of the mile has changed a couple times. That is why there is a survey mile and the international mile. The survey mile is 5280 survey feet, and the international mile is 5280 international feet.


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