>Yes, but do you consider that a fixation of a standard of measurement >for the United States? BTW, I thought that was in 1875, just after the >US signed the Treaty Of the Metre. > >"Joseph B. Reid" wrote: >> >> Paul Trusten wrote in USMA 14548: >> >> The United States has no SI measurement standard, >> >much less an SI measurement folklore. >> >> The US received a prototype meter and a prototype kilogram in 1895, if I >> remember correctly. The inch/pound units are legaly defined in terms of >> those prototypes. A bill of the 39th Congress declared it lawful throughout the USA "to employ the weights and measures of the metric system". Further provisions specified that no contract dealing, or court proceeding could be deemed invalid because of the use of metric measures. This bill was passed by the House asnd sent to the Senate on 1866 May 17 It was passed by the Senate on July 27. The following day, July 28, the bill was signed into law by President Andrew Johnson. The "Convention du M�tre" was signed on 1975 May 20 by representatives of 17 countries, including the USA. the Convention was ratified by President Rutherford B. Hayes on 1878 Septembe 27, the US Senate having approved the measure. New prototype metres and kilograms were completed in 1889, 31 metres and 40 kilograms. The US drew two of each. The first pair was received at the White House on 1890 January 2. The second pair was received in July. Joseph B. Reid 17 Glebe Road West Toronto M5P 1C8 Tel. 416 486-6071
