Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a gauge of 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in), which is known as the standard or international gauge.

The stuff about Ancient Rome setting track width in North America is poppycock.

Early origins of the standard gauge

There is a story that rail gauge was derived from the rutways created by war chariots used by Imperial Rome, which everyone else had to follow to preserve their wagon wheels, and because Julius Caesar set this width under Roman law so that vehicles could traverse Roman villages and towns without getting caught in stone ruts of differing widths.

A problem with this story is that the Roman military did not use chariots in battle. However, an equal gauge is probably coincidence. Excavations at the buried cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum revealed ruts averaged 4 ft 9 in (1448 mm) center to center, with a gauge of 4 ft 6 in (1372 mm). The designers of both chariots and trams and trains were dealing with a similar issue, namely hauling wheeled vehicles behind draft animals.

A more likely theory why the 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) measurement was chosen is that it reflects vehicles with a 1524 mm (5 ft) OUTSIDE gauge.

The workplace is often filled with people who are about the business of getting work done. When the job is a manufacturing or production plant where machinery and various other types of manual labor processes are done, it makes sense to have first aid kits on location because they can save lives. Many companies even have mandated safety requirements that indicate that first aid kits are required in many different areas where accidents can occur.

The business office atmosphere is not exempt from having these valuable kits around either. Even elementary schools have them in the nurse's office. It is even a good practice to have a safety kit in the car for those individuals who work in the field or spend a great deal of time on the road during the course of their duties. It may go almost without saying that the home office can also benefit on many levels from having a first aid kit in place.

A small standard first aid kit is often enough for low impact areas where cuts and injuries need only to be cleansed and bandaged before an employee can return to work. These kits usually have a variety of different size bandages such as tiny strips for a paper cut and larger gauge-type bandages that can cover more surface of the skin or serve as a temporary compress until the necessary medical attention can be received.

There are first aid kits that contain more than simple bandages however. These kits are designed to save lives when serious accidents occur on the job. The contents of such kits can vary greatly beyond the basics because they may be designed for a specific type of workplace. For example, on a construction site, there may be supplies in the kit that include tweezers for extracting particles from under the skin such as wood or glass and salves to apply to burns that can result from fire or electricity.

Some of the most sophisticated first aid kits have defibrillation machines included for life threatening emergencies where a heart has stopped beating and needs to be stimulated. Often this can save a life because the time it takes for emergency personnel to arrive, especially in a remote location, can be too long. These functional, resourceful kits often contain many needed first aid items such as aspirin, smelling salts to revive those who are unconscious, poison control for accidental inhalation, burn ointment, eye wash solution, thermometer to check for fever or low body temperature and an ice pack.

Anti-itch medications, CPR masks, laxatives, and antihistamines are also items that workplace first aid kits contain to ensure that accidents and other medical needs that arise on the job can be safely handled. This is to ensure the health of the workers and to protect the company from lawsuits against the organization. Although no first aid kit can contain supplies to handle every possible medical trouble that arises, the properly stocked first aid kit can handle everyday accidents and keep your workplace in good shape by taking care of small mishaps on the spot.