Why doesn’t the U.S. use the metric system? It’s actually a pretty wild story that involves—and I’m not making this up—pirates. Yep, the peg-leg and eyepatch kind. So, back in 1793, the U.S. was a newborn nation and needed standard measures. Different states had different systems, and it was a mess. Thomas Jefferson, being a fan of France, liked their new decimal-based metric system and wanted it for the U.S.
Jefferson sent for a French scientist, Joseph Dumais, who set sail for the U.S. with a one-kilogram weight and a one-meter scale. But then pirates (okay, technically privateers) intercepted his ship, stole the objects, and threw Dumais in a Caribbean prison. Dumais died there, and the metric tools were auctioned off. Talk about bad luck!
By the mid-1800s, Americans had settled into the U.S. customary system, closely based on the British imperial system. People found it relatable: a foot is about the length of, well, your foot. Meanwhile, the metric system wasn’t exactly stable. Political upheaval in Europe made metric units fluctuate, while the U.S. stayed consistent.
Even though Congress tried to make metric the standard in the 19th century, industry leaders resisted due to the cost of conversion. By 1893, all U.S. measurements were officially defined by their metric counterparts. International businesses and scientific communities saw the need to standardize but faced a slow process.
The 20th century saw the world becoming more globalized. The U.K. switched to metric in 1965 to access European markets. The U.S. followed partially; Congress recommended going metric in 1971 but didn’t require it. Some big businesses like IBM and Ford went metric early because it saved them money.
In 1999, NASA’s Mars Climate Orbiter crashed because engineers mixed up metric and imperial units—an expensive oopsie worth $125 million. Congressional acts in 1988, 1996, and 2004 encouraged metric use but couldn’t enforce it. Even a presidential candidate, Lincoln Chafee, made metric a cornerstone of his campaign in 2016, but it didn’t gain traction.
Technically, the U.S. is already a metric country; all federal agencies and consumer products use metric for manufacturing. But old habits die hard, and change is inching along slowly.
So, should we fully switch to metric or stick with both systems? Let us know what you think. Thanks for hanging out; see you next time!
