The answer lies within the ancient civilization of Sumer that flourished 5,500 years ago in Mesopotamia where modern-day Iraq is. Its culture reigned supreme and projected on all surrounding nations. Unlike modern society, the Sumerians practiced a sexagesimal numeral system – a numeral system with six as its base. They were the first to divide the circle into 360 degrees, the day into 24 hours, and the hour into 60 minutes.
Most of us have long forgotten this great civilization, but its legacy remains very much alive every time we take a look at our watch or count in dozens.
Bonus fact: Why are they called seconds, why not firsts? – Originally a second was known as a ‘second minute’, meaning the second division of an hour. The first division was known as a ‘prime minute’ and is equivalent to the minute we know today.
Prime fell, seconds stuck and the rest is history.