aarhus
aarhus t1_iykt1vm wrote
Reply to comment by I_am_10_squirrels in TIL that the southern United States converted all 11,500+ miles of its railroads from broad gauge (5 ft/1.524 m) to nearly-standard gauge (4 ft 9 in/1.448 m) in just 36 hours, starting on May 31, 1886 by 1859
Yes, I see now the article does a poor job of referencing the source.
The source claims in the South they were preparing to change 11,500 miles of track.
The article says all the track in North America, 11,500 miles, was on the new gauge.
Clearly, unless all the track in North America was located in the South, one of these is wrong.
aarhus t1_iyk9x0s wrote
Reply to comment by sintaur in TIL that the southern United States converted all 11,500+ miles of its railroads from broad gauge (5 ft/1.524 m) to nearly-standard gauge (4 ft 9 in/1.448 m) in just 36 hours, starting on May 31, 1886 by 1859
This excerpt would suggest OP's title is misleading. 11,500 is how many miles there were total, not how many the South switched in 36 hours.
aarhus t1_j4yzsqt wrote
Reply to TIL the public library in Aarhus, Denmark has a 25-ft 3-ton bronze bell named 'The Gong' that rings every time a baby is born in the city. It is connected to the maternity ward in the local hospital, where mothers can press a button after giving birth to ring The Gong by ergotpoisoning
You rang?