00:00Did you ever notice that traffic signs look like a 7th grade geometry class exploded all over the highway?
00:05Believe it or not, there is a good reason.
00:07In the early 1900s, when cars first began sharing the road with horses, bicycles, pedestrians, and some crazy guy named
00:15Earl.
00:15Out of my way!
00:17Different towns used different signs.
00:19So in the 1920s, traffic experts said,
00:22We need a system so drivers can recognize signs instantly.
00:25So those experts gave different rules, different shapes.
00:28Triangles mean yield.
00:30Because apparently nothing says slow down politely, like the geometric shape diamonds mean warning.
00:35Sharp turn, slippery road, rectangles are informational signs.
00:39Speed limits, directions, there's the pentagon, the school zone, and the octagon, the stop sign.
00:45Traffic experts chose eight sides because it was easy to recognize instantly.
00:50So the next time you're driving, think about your geometry teacher who said,
00:53Pay attention, you're going to need this someday.
00:56Always wondered.
00:57Stream it now, wherever you get your podcasts.
01:00I'll see you next time.
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