SO WHO AND WHEN DID..........

For the question on stationery I must refer you to a specialist.

FM station numbers are bigger because there are a lot more of them. CB numbers are probably even bigger, but Cell Phone numbers are the biggest sofar. It is a general rule, the shorter the wavelength, the shorter the distance it can be heard. Long-wave radio can be heard from the opposite side of the earth (with only a little bit of luck). This post was edited by JakobA the unAmerican. at February 6, 2018 3:06 PM MST

Smart ass answer first.. someone *inventive* invented all these things :P 
Less smart ass answer... well in the UK there is letter size and A4 size.. not sure which, if any is the same size as American favoured size.. so perhaps it's not universal - but perhaps too they are pretty similar. 

Shoelace holes.. well depending on the shoe some have 4, 6 or 8 

I think that where there is broad similarity or consensus it's for logical reasons... like that's the most efficient to get the best results. 

have no idea

8 1/2 x 11 paper is an oddball paper size.  Most of the world uses A4 which is 210 x 297 mm.  That's decided by the International Organization for Standardization.

AM radio is either 530 to 1700 kHz or 531 to 1602 kHz and FM radio is 87.5 to 108 MHz.  That's decided by the International Telecommunications Union.

The size of coins is decided by national governments.  In the US it's decided by Congress (Article I Section 8 of the US Constitution) and in the Eurozone it's decided by the European Central Bank.

Soap comes in all different sizes so it's decided by the manufacturer.

Cake pans also come in different sizes so it's up to the baker to decide which ones to buy.

Not all shoes have the same amount of holes so that's decided by the manufacturer.

I don't know about pens or pencils and door knobs.  It's probably set by industry standard.

People that were sitting around, having the time of their lives, drunk as skunks and couldn't really see straight must have decided the paper size.
The pencils, well that was when the whittler got tired of whittling and could whittle no more.  He decided, "Heck!  This is it!"
The pens had the birds on their deciding length.  The large flying birds, like the eagle and the falcon, came to the decision that instead of using their finely grown feathers, man could reproduce something that would hold ink inside... just about the same length.  That is when Bic stepped up.
FM stands for Fantastically Masculine.  They had bigger egos.
Pans had to be big enough to make enough fattening cake to subside the larger gent. but small enough to master over the open stove.  The brilliance of women, I believe was behind this.
Doorknobs were what fit comfortably in the cup of your hand.
The holes in for the shoelaces must have come about by a marathon runner.  They are put in certain spots to support the arch of your foot with a shoe attached.  
The penny, as true is it was in copper way back in 1793, has been beaten down to nothingness.  I truly feel sorry for it. The amount it costs to make it these days outweighs its worth.  Its size has changed throughout time as well.
The dime came about in 1792 and it's my favorite coin.  They are so little and add up so easily.  I think the guy who was responsible for it must have been tired of being weighed down by the copper pennies.
The nickle is the trickster.  Because of its size, most people thought it was worth more than the dime.  
The quarter well, I'm assuming it must have had something to do with weight.  Check out year 1933 and quarters.  Hmmm.  What was going on then?
The size of bar soap is a matter of how much you plan on playing in the mud.  You can make your own and have it any size you would like.  It's all personal preference :)


This post was edited by Merlin at February 6, 2018 3:36 PM MST

"that pens/pencils should be the length they are??????"
- Nobody. There is no particular standard length, except that they have to be convenient to hold in a human hand. The same applies to door knobs.

"that FM dial numbers are bigger than AM radio station numbers?"
- All radio equipment operates on specified frequencies. AM stations are allowed to operate from 0.535 MHz to 1.3 MHz (called 535 to 1300), FM stations from 88 MHz to 108 MHz, tv from 52 to 88 MHz (called channel 2 to channel 7), and 108 MHz to 130 MHz (called channel 8 to channel 12). Microwave ovens all run 2400 MHz, and so on and on. So everything has its assigned frequency and nothing interferes with anything else.

"how many holes in a shoe that uses shoelaces?"
- Any number the maker chooses.

"the size of the coins in use? penny/nickel/dime/quarter, etc......."
- Congress defined the amount of metal in each coin and the mint collected images for coins of that size. Width was chosen to be easily visible, and thickness was dictated by the density of the metal. That's why 1/10 ozt silver dimes are almost the same size as 1/10 ozt gold medallions, but the gold coin is half as thick.

have no idea, it wasnt me