Little known fact: an hour consists of 60 minutes. But seriously, when did the concept of hours and minutes come into existence? Evidence suggests that Egyptians were actually the first to adopt such a system. Around 1500 B.C.E., they developed a more advanced sundial in the shape of a T. This new system introduced a shadow that, when calibrated properly, divided the time between sunrise and sunset into 12 parts. Scientific American has an excellent article into the history of the sundial and its evolution in to the hour, minute, and second we take for granted today.