# What is a gallon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 6, 1999, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-gallon/5142 "1999-12-06T19:11:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 1999, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-gallon/5142/1 "1999-12-06T19:11:00Z")
231 cubic inches. Three primes: 3 x 7 x 11 Why such an “odd” number? ---
**Author:** ![InutilisVisEst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d2c977/32.png) [@InutilisVisEst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InutilisVisEst)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 1999, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-gallon/5142/2 "1999-12-06T19:36:00Z")
Bummer: “the wine gallon of 231 cubic inches rests on the authority of very long usage, before the 5th of Anne, the origin and foundation of which are unknown” [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/jeffplan.htm](http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/jeffplan.htm) This is not say that if the Founding Fathers don’t know, nobody does. It’s easy to envision some folks getting together and saying. ---
**Author:** ![InutilisVisEst](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/d2c977/32.png) [@InutilisVisEst](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/InutilisVisEst)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 1999, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-gallon/5142/3 "1999-12-06T19:41:00Z")
Damn, sorry. Last post should continue thus “This is not say that if the Founding Fathers don’t know, nobody does. It’s easy to envision some folks getting together and saying…” …let’s make THIS the standard gallon" if you imagine a 6.5" diameter 7" tall wine mug… After all, they DID know how to drink back then. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 1999, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-gallon/5142/4 "1999-12-06T19:55:00Z")
All I can find is that the 231 in[sub]3[/sup] was only one of many definitions of a gallon. There were also 277 and 269. The US picked 231 in 1836. This US Gallon was based on the William III gallon. However, I couldn’t find anything that said why Bill picked that number. ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 1999, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-gallon/5142/5 "1999-12-06T19:56:00Z")
Try that again. ☹ All I can find is that the 231 in[sup]3[/sup] was only one of many definitions of a gallon. There were also 277 and 269. The US picked 231 in 1836. This US Gallon was based on the William III gallon. However, I couldn’t find anything that said why Bill picked that number. ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 1999, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-gallon/5142/6 "1999-12-06T20:16:00Z")
## This isn’t really an answer but there is some interesting inforamtion on The Avalon Project of 1790 which was an attempt to standardize coinage, weights an measures. [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/jeffplan.htm](http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/jeffplan.htm) “Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I’m worried about the difference between wrong and fun.” ~P.J. O’Rourke~ ---
**Author:** ![tanstaafl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ba8739/32.png) [@tanstaafl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tanstaafl)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 1999, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-gallon/5142/7 "1999-12-06T20:24:00Z")
Well, Webster’s says: > [@](#): > > Main Entry: gal·lon > Pronunciation: 'ga-l&n > Function: noun > Etymology: Middle English galon, a liquid measure, from Old North French, from Medieval Latin _galeta_ pail, a liquid measure > Date: 13th century > : a unit of liquid capacity equal to 231 cubic inches or four quarts Given the reference to Latin for “pail”, maybe it was the standard size of a Roman bucket? The Romans being the organizers they were probably had a standard bucket size and it was probably a reasonable number in cubits or whatever they measured in. * * * “Drink your coffee! Remember, there are people sleeping in China.” Dennis Matheson — [dennis@mountaindiver.com](mailto:dennis@mountaindiver.com) Hike, Dive, Ski, Climb — [www.mountaindiver.com](http://www.mountaindiver.com) ---
**Author:** ![UncleBeer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/977dab/32.png) [@UncleBeer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBeer)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 1999, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-a-gallon/5142/8 "1999-12-06T20:48:00Z")
Well, call me a British kilderkin. I’d swear there were no answers here when I posted. Sheesh. That’s about equal to 108 British firkins, BTW. * * * “Some people are worried about the difference between right and wrong. I’m worried about the difference between wrong and fun.” ~P.J. O’Rourke~