Furlong Furlong A furlong is a measure of distance in imperial units and U.S. customary units equal to one eighth of a mile, equivalent to 660 feet, 220 yards, 40 rods, or 10 chains. Using the international definition of the inch as exactly 25.4 millimetres, one furlong is 201.168 metres. However, the United States does not uniformly use this conversion ratio. Older ratios are in use for surveying purposes in some states, leading to variations in the length of the furlong of two parts per million, or about 0.4 millimetres ( inch). This variation is too small to have practical consequences
William R. Furlong William R. Furlong William Rea Furlong (May 26, 1881 – June 2, 1976) was United States Navy Rear admiral during World War II, who served as the Chief of Naval Ordnance from 1937 to 1941. After Japanese Attack on Pearl Harbor, Furlong was tasked with the salvaging and repairing of the sunken U.S. ships. William Rea Furlong was born on May 26, 1881 in the town of Allenport, Pennsylvania as a son of William Allen Furlong and Ethel Grant Furlong. Furlong attended the Normal School in California, Pennsylvania, where he earned his teaching degree. He subsequently worked as a teacher