Since Time Began

I am reading Zero: The Biography of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife. I'll review it when I finish, but last night I encountered a factoid that I couldn't wait to share.

Most early number systems were base-5, base-10 or occasionally base-20 because they were handy. The early Babylonians used base-60! That means if a Babylonian wanted to count on his fingers, he needed the help of two friends, and none of them could wear shoes.

I have been wondering for a long time why time is base-60. I remember, as a kid, asking my dad why hours and minutes were divided into 60 not 100 parts. He didn't know. He told me people had tried to institute a time system based on 100, but it didn't catch on. Now I know why there are 60 minutes in an hour. We can blame the Babylonians.