4 ms·
The definition of "a foot" was only agreed relatively recently: it wasn't all that long ago that countries differed on their definition. That difference in meas
by manarth 10y ago
The definition of "a foot" was only agreed relatively recently: it wasn't all that long ago that countries differed on their definition. That difference in measuring systems (an Amsterdam foot was 11 inches, a Swedish foot was 12 inches) was attributed as one of the causes of the sinking of the Vasa [1].
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasa_(ship)
- Bartweiss 10y agoI knew the standardization was new-ish, but that's an excellent story. Right up there with building a bridge measured "above sea level", such that the two sides didn't match when they met in the middle. http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27509559 http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-27509559