What is the origin/reason that when reading 24-hour time you say “hours” (e.g. “zero eight hundred hours”) when it’s actually hours and minutes

Question

What is the origin/reason that when reading 24-hour time you say “hours” (e.g. “zero eight hundred hours”) when it’s actually hours and minutes

In: Other

Answer 1

[https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4sbo59/eli5_why_is_military_time_o_eighthundred_hours/](https://www.reddit.com/r/explainlikeimfive/comments/4sbo59/eli5_why_is_military_time_o_eighthundred_hours/)

this has good answers. It is an abbreviation that is simple to hear/interpret and it is less likely to be misunderstood when writing or reading.