The US and the metric system.

[Sean]

The wiki article is actually really interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metrication_in_the_United_States

 

[LiFeNdEaTh]

i'll check it..

 

[warrior queen]

I always thought the reason the US wasn't metric, was because it's easier to count to 16 than to 100

 

[RoryN]

That's what highway signs looked like when I was a kid.

 

[blobfish]

That's what highway signs looked like when I was a kid.

They still look like that near the Canadian border. In Maine, some are even in French.

 

[KRCummings]

Asking a very large country to change everything they've ever known regarding one of the most important aspects of their everyday life isn't easy. It's especially hard when the people are possibly the most stubborn on the planet.

 

[CHNOPS]

I always thought the reason the US wasn't metric, was because it's easier to count to 16 than to 100

This must make more sense in metric.

 

[Sean]

Asking a very large country to change everything they've ever known regarding one of the most important aspects of their everyday life isn't easy. It's especially hard when the people are possibly the most stubborn on the planet.

It was first mandated in the 1860's. The US, Burma and Liberia. There's an unlikely trio.

 

[doctor_insanus]

We learned the metric system in grade school, and then the whole country seemed to forget about it. Pity... it's a much better system.

 

[Sean]

Britain is kind of weird about it. Road signs and speed limits are in miles, we buy pints in the pub and we only use Celsius when it's cold.

 

[warrior queen]

This must make more sense in metric.

I don't do Imperial..... but I always thought there were 16 ounces in a pound, 16 pounds in a stone....?

 

[Sean]

I don't do Imperial..... but I always thought there were 16 ounces in a pound, 16 pounds in a stone....?

14
...

 

[warrior queen]

14
...

See? I TOLD you I don't do that wierd stuff

 

[CHNOPS]

Britain is kind of weird about it. Road signs and speed limits are in miles, we buy pints in the pub and we only use Celsius when it's cold.

Road signs are in miles? I didn't remember that being the case.

 

[LiFeNdEaTh]

We learned the metric system in grade school, and then the whole country seemed to forget about it. Pity... it's a much better system.

lol @ your sig..

 

[Sean]

Road signs are in miles? I didn't remember that being the case.

I've never seen a road sign in km in mainland Britain.

 

[CHNOPS]

I've never seen a road sign in km in mainland Britain.

Speed limits are Km/H though, no? And speedometers? It's been more than 25 years since I was there. Brain may have outlived its warrantee.

 

[dolf]

Road signs are in miles? I didn't remember that being the case.

dude, all the signs are in miles! always have been.

 

[dolf]

Speed limits are Km/H though, no? And speedometers? It's been more than 25 years since I was there. Brain may have outlived its warrantee.

nope.
mph over here. always in mph.
and fuel is mpg. miles per gallon.

 

[Sean]

Speed limits are Km/H though, no? And speedometers? It's been more than 25 years since I was there. Brain may have outlived its warrantee.

Nope, speed limits are in mph and speedos have both, but the big numbers are miles per.

 

[KRCummings]

Nope, speed limits are in mph and speedos have both, but the big numbers are miles per.

Perhaps I don't want to know why you put numbers on your speedos.

 

[blobfish]

Don't you also use imperial measurements for baking? I've watched British cooking shows, and they always use cups and tablespoons.

 

[KRCummings]

Don't you also use imperial measurements for baking? I've watched British cooking shows, and they always use cups and tablespoons.

British cooking shows. That's funny.

 

[blobfish]

British cooking shows. That's funny.

 

[renard_ruse]

Liberty Lobby, the group that put out The Spotlight newspaper and today's American Free Press, was one of the key groups that fought the anti-metrics battle in the 70s.

Without them, its likely that we would have not been able to defeat this metric menace and preserve a key aspect of our cultural heritage. I salute them!