How pirates stole the metric system from America - photos

[mklotz]

There is a a bit more info on the NIST Website - I think the following is a particularly interesting fact and one that is not so widely appreciated;

In 1893, metric standards, developed through international cooperation under the auspices of BIPM, were adopted as the fundamental standards for length and mass in the United States. Our customary measurements -- the foot, pound, quart, etc. -- have been defined in relation to the meter and the kilogram ever since.

https://www.nist.gov/sites/default/f...tric/1136a.pdf

Yes, this comes up all the time in metric/inferial discussions. It's often touted as proof that the USA adopted the metric system. It isn't of course, but inferial apologists aren't very logical. The USA has legalized the use of the metric system but has yet to make it the required system in everyday trade.

It only makes sense to define inferial standards in terms of metric. Metric standards are thoroughly researched, readily reproducible (except for mass), and their relationships rigorously detailed. Establishing inferial standards to that level would be terribly expensive, not to mention exposing the illogical mess they comprise.