Tantalizing Trivia: 74-Minute CDs

Do you know why a CD is 74 minutes long (instead of an even 60 or 75)?

Although this is unverified, the popular belief is because Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony was the CD inventor’s favorite piece of music and he wanted to be able to listen to the longest recording of it without a record change.

And the reason a CD is not longer than 74 minutes is to keep the disc size small enough to fit in a suit pocket.