History of the Furlong

A furlong is a traditional measure of distance, originating in Anglo-Saxon England, within Imperial units and U.S. customary units. Although its definition has varied historically, in modern terms it equals 40 rods, poles, or perches, which is exactly 10 chains, 220 yards, 660 feet, or 1/8 of a statute mile. One furlong is exactly 201.168 meters, so a 200-meter dash covers a distance very close to a furlong. Coincidentally, 5 furlongs is 1005.84 meters (exactly) and is therefore approximately 1 kilometer.
The name "furlong" derives from the Old English words furh (furrow) and lang (long).…