Why does an hour have 60 minutes?

That time, that place

Around 2000 BC, Mesopotamian cities revolved around their temples. The temple collected grain, oil, and beer, then handed it back out to workers. Running that vast storehouse meant handling numbers every single day.

Why this question

The hardest part of rationing is division. A storehouse of grain has to be split evenly among workers, and a remainder causes trouble. So the scribes badly needed a number that divides cleanly.

What was found

Ten divides only by 2 and 5. But 60 divides by 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 12, 15, 20, and 30. Split it in three or in four and nothing is left over. So the Sumerians made 60 the basis of counting — a number chosen for practical reasons.