Nipher Predicted Horses' Speed Ceiling

Nipher Predicted Horses' Speed Ceiling

In 1882, an American physicist and meteorologist named Francis Eugene Nipher used equations to predict that horses would reach their fastest possible trotting speed in the year 2158, covering one mile in 99 seconds. He also predicted that a horse would trot a mile in under two minutes by 1914, prompting jockeys to mock him. In 1912, a horse named Uhlan completed the mile in 1 minute 58 seconds, beating Nipher's deadline by two years.

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