In the late 1700s, Thomas Jefferson wanted the United States to adopt a unified system of measurement and saw the metric system as the best solution. However, a pirate attack in the Caribbean disrupted these plans. Joseph Dombey, a French scientist carrying a kilogram and meter stick to demonstrate the metric system, was captured by pirates. By the time France sent another scientist to explain the system to the Americans, Jefferson was no longer in office, and plans to go metric were disregarded.
Is there a non-paywalled link? The archive.org link doesn’t seem to work
I was pretty sure this isn’t behind a paywall. I made a pastebin that expires in one week: https://pastebin.com/rK82JgyY
That is good content! Off to google I went to explore the rabbit hole
And here’s a good read! https://time.com/3633514/why-wont-america-go-metric/
I always find it funny to read about how much it’s the public who wants America to be a “leader” and not a “follower” and keep resisting the change. Meanwhile metric is in widespread use across the country. Most science and medicine is done in metric. NASA and the US Military are metric. Most soldiers knows how long a “klick” is, which is literally just slang for kilometer. Every car mechanic can show you exactly how much a centimeter is, since the 10mm wrench/socket size is burned into their memory.
And because of the global trade market, a lot of products that are also meant for export is manufactured in metric
Not to mention that when it comes to conversion it’s so much easier that US students are in some cases taught to convert to metric, apply that formula and then convert back(like calculating work) since it’s so much faster and easier.
NASA still almost lost the Mars Climate Orbiter in '98- they used metric, and Lockheed used US customary. Probably put it on approach too close to mars, and uh, it “encountered” the planet…
NASA has the best euphemisms.
(edit: also in 3d printing world…we almost always use metric, partly because it’s literally an international community.)
One thing I find humourous is the term ‘US Customary’ - I’ve only come across it recently; to most of the world they’re Imperial units, which is ironic given the nature of how the USA came about.
To be fair, the 10mm socket is burned into their memory because they keep fucking disappearing.
Why would it take a scientist to demonstrate metric system…? Everything is in powers of 10. How hard is that to explain?
actually, they didn’t need examples (even if it would make things easier.)
for example, the meter was originally defined as one ten millionth of the distance between the equator and the north pole. (which, given the necessary instrumentation, was something “anyone” could measure. well, instrumentation and instruction.) it’s now based on the emissions of krypton-86, and the wave length of a certain part of it. Again anyone with the proper tools is able to measure this.)
Similarly, the kilogram was defined- originally- as the mass of one liter of water. the liter was defined as the volume of a cube with a length of ten centimeters… (today it gets quite a bit more complicated, but based on observable constants…)
This is America, pal. We don’t believe anything unless we someone tells it to us with conviction. Hence Donald Trump’s presidency.
One of the ongoing goals in science is to reference all metric units to fundamental forces. Basically, we want a system where you can write down everything you need to recreate all our measurement systems.
Right now, most are referenced that way, but not all. Last I heard the kg was being difficult. I believe the plan is to reference it to a perfect sphere of perfectly crystalline silicon-28 of a given size. Creating such a sphere is extremely difficult however.
Powers of 10 is actually the main problem with the metric system. It makes geometry ugly as sin, and isn’t sufficiently granular for convenient use in the kitchen.
Whatever asshole invented us with 10 fingers instead of 12 is begging for my boot in his ass. Geometry is elegant in duodecimal. But because we developed basic arithmetic with 10 fingers, we have to resort to ugly hacks like a sexagesimal unit circle to make geometry compatible with decimal.
That son of a bitch pirate has no idea how much of a pain in the ass he ended up being
But if the plan had suceeded, it could’ve lead to a butterfly effect where none of us are ever born.
Or it could’ve led to a butterfly effect where measurements were much easier to understand and as a result scientific and engineering progress moved along a bit faster
Maybe both; maybe that resulted in like a huge bomb that destroyed the world. Or maybe it resulted in utopia where we figure out eternal life and cured all disease
Also that NASA’s scientists with many suppliers would have performed their tasks and intended with quality, following through schedules. Through a handful of projects. Meaning that some space missions would not have failed. Those outcomes could have made us living and work on the Moon by now. (Maybe).
Great historic trivia. Have always wondered why the US had chosen their system. Still never to late to change over.
The pirate name was Captain Fahren Heit.
