ʃˈɔːɹtli bᵻfˌoːɹ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd fˈɪfti wˈʌn, lˈuːɪs fɹˈaɪ ɹˈɪtʃɚdsən, ɪn ɹᵻsˈɜːtʃɪŋ ðə pˈɑːsᵻbəl ɪfˈɛkt ʌv bˈoːɹdɚ lˈɛŋθs ɔnðə pɹˌɑːbəbˈɪlᵻɾi ʌv wˈɔːɹ, nˈoʊɾɪst ðætðə pˌoːɹtʃəɡˈiːz ɹᵻpˈoːɹɾᵻd ðɛɹ mˈɛʒɚd bˈoːɹdɚ wɪð spˈeɪn təbi nˈaɪnhˈʌndɹɪd ˈeɪɾi sˈɛvən kˌeɪˈɛm, bˌʌt ðə spˈænɪʃ ɹᵻpˈoːɹɾᵻd ɪɾ æz wˈʌn θˈaʊzənd tˈuːhˈʌndɹɪd fˈoːɹtiːn kˌeɪˈɛm.
Shortly before 1951, Lewis Fry Richardson, in researching the possible effect of border lengths on the probability of war, noticed that the Portuguese reported their measured border with Spain to be 987 km, but the Spanish reported it as 1214 km.