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In fact in the US it wasn't until Herbert Hoover, in his capacity as Secretary of Commerce in the 1920's, standardized everything from pipe gauges and thread co
by JoeAltmaier 2y ago
In fact in the US it wasn't until Herbert Hoover, in his capacity as Secretary of Commerce in the 1920's, standardized everything from pipe gauges and thread counts to bedpans and light sockets. He published a government schedule which soon got adopted nationwide. It enabled a farmer in Wyoming to order parts from a manufacturer in Massachusetts and they would fit when they arrived.
- legitster 2y agoAlthough, it should be noted that the standardization of measurements themselves was mostly done by the founding of the country. Authority of the government to "fix the Standard of Weights and Measures" is in the constitution. From its founding, the US had one of the largest contiguously agreed upon measurement system in the world, sidestepping the problems of European measurement systems which changed border to border - even predating the official adoption of the Metric system in France. And it's largely why it's stuck around until today.
- darby_nine 2y ago[flagged]
- inglor_cz 2y agoWhile I am frustrated by freedom units sometimes, the truth is that the US simply started too late and the transition costs are too high. It is a different story to change measuring units in a still-mostly-rural society with relatively few engineers and engineering projects - which describes Europe in the late 19th century.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]