Comments on: How The Original Horse’s Ass Determined So Much

By: RobertinSeattle

RobertinSeattle — Sat, 20 Nov 2010 03:24:15 +0000

A belated response to Dispenser of Truth: I’ve read and re-read that piece on Snopes and have come to the conclusion that they themselves basically made their own case that it’s mostly factual and true. Yet they still simply dismiss it as flat-out False. And if you read their research bibliography at the bottom of the piece, you’ll notice that as far back as 1905, Popular Mechanics actually discussed the origins of the standard train gauge as determined by George Stephenson, one of the original railroad entrepreneurs. Do a search for “Popular Mechanics Ancient Romans Determined Our Standard Railway Gauge” and you’ll be able to find the original book as posted now on Google Books.

As you mentioned, it’s “funny how people believe what they read…” I’ve come to realize that sometimes you can’t believe what you read on Snopes either. The more research and reading I’ve done on this topic, the more it always leads back to the Roman chariot standard. And I have no doubt that this very same standard – a horse’s ass – also led to many earlier standards – such as roads – that have remained well-established out of ancient China and other earlier civilizations.

By: Kelly

Kelly — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 22:50:20 +0000

That is so funny. After working in so many industries over the years I should know better than to be surprised. The most common answer to a new worker’s question when asking “why is it done that way”, is “because that’s the way we have always done it”.

By: Dispenser of Truth

Dispenser of Truth — Tue, 12 May 2009 22:11:40 +0000

http://www.snopes.com/history/american/gauge.asp

funny how people believe what they read…

By: Ramana Rajgopaul

Ramana Rajgopaul — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 17:32:13 +0000

I truly did and I offer my sincere apologies for it. Never shall I make such an error of judgment ever again.

Wonderful story with a great moral to it.