Why There Are 60 Minutes in an Hour
Tuesday, 2026/03/31137 words2 minutes242 reads
Why do we have 60 minutes in an hour? The answer comes from ancient people called the Sumerians. They lived in Mesopotamia about 5,000 years ago. The Sumerians created one of the first writing systems. They also made a number system based on 60.
Why 60? One idea is finger counting. Look at your hand. Each finger has three parts. Count all the parts on four fingers. You get 12. Do this five times and you reach 60. The number 60 is very useful. You can divide it by many numbers without fractions.
Later, the Babylonians used this system for astronomy. The ancient Egyptians divided the day into 24 hours. The Greeks learned from the Babylonians. This system passed through history to us. Today, we still use 60 minutes in an hour because of these ancient choices.
