The 12-hour clock got its start on an ancient sundial

Clay is off today. Here’s a favorite column from April 28, 2010: oday’s question:

TWhy do we use the a.m.-p.m. system for telling time? The 24hour day (i.e. 1300 for 1 p.m.) that the military uses seems so much simpler.

Do you really think so? I always have to stop and think for a moment when I’m trying to switch from military time to 12-hour time, but then I’m not much on numbers. Anyway, as near as I can tell, the 12-hour clock goes way back to ancient Mesopotamia and Egypt. The Egyptians used a 12-hour sundial to tell time during the daytime and a 12-hour water clock at night. The Romans also used a 12-hour clock. Early mechanical clocks showed all 24 hours, but over time, clockmakers found the 12-hour system simpler and cheaper.

Of course, a.m. stands for ante meridiem, which is Latin for “before midday.” And p.m. means post meridiem — “after midday.”

What is the origin of “coming from the wrong side of the tracks”? It seems to me in early America, trains were boarded from one side, and, if a person happened to be on the other side, they were said to be “from the wrong side of the tracks.” Any truth to that?

There are a couple of ideas about this, neither of which are yours.

One idea is that in the old days of steam engines, prevailing winds blew the smoke and soot to one side of town, making it a less-desirable place to live.

Another idea is that tracks tended to run through industrial areas or cattle corrals and pretty much split towns in half, separating the poor parts from the better-off neighborhoods.