Why is there 5,280 feet in a mile? Why such a random number?

Question

I can see why there is 1,000 meters in a kilometers. 1,000 is a lot easier to remember and sounds like an official and important number. But who decided that one mile will be 5,280 feet and why that number?

Answer

A mile is mille pasus, a thousand paces. It was the standard measure of the Roman army for about a thousand years. The foot is an ancient Egyptian unit of distance, and the roman pace just happened to be 5.28 times as long as an Egyptian foot.

Answer

Watch this numberphile-video on imperial length units and everything becomes clear :)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7x-RGfd0Yk

Answer

It's not a random number, that's actually how many feet are in a mile. 
1000 may be an easier number to remember, but it's not accurate. No one decided it, that's the true number.

Answer

Because there is. It's an exact measurement

Why is there 5,280 feet in a mile? Why such a random number?

Responses (4)