1) Four time zones in the United States were established to drive operational efficiency for the nation’s railroads. 130 years later, there’s a sensible argument that we can reduce that number to two — after all, the nature of commerce is quite different today.
2) The design of the space shuttle’s solid rocket boosters was determined by the width of two horses’ behinds. Why? Because Roman roads were engineered based on a standard width (two horses) which translated into English roads, which were the basis for US railroads. The story is totally false, but it’s fun to hear and provides a great analogy for people who are willing to ignore the facts.
