>A professor of mine recently asserted that the metric system originated in
>France and was introduced by Napoleon B around the same time.
>
>I suppose I have always thought that it started much earlier and was adopted
>by France (and later elsewhere) during Napoleon's empire.
>
>Can you provide any insight or references please?
>
>Thanks
>
>Nick Pocock
>
><HTML><FONT FACE=arial,helvetica><FONT SIZE=2>A professor of mine
>recently asserted that the metric system originated in France and was
>introduced by Napoleon B around the same time.
><BR>
><BR>I suppose I have always thought that it started much earlier and was
>adopted by France (and later elsewhere) during Napoleon's empire.
><BR>
><BR>Can you provide any insight or references please?
><BR>
><BR>Thanks
><BR>
><BR>Nick Pocock</FONT></HTML>
Your memory is correct. The first draft of the metric system was in 1793.
It was modified in 1795, and has only been enlarged and refined since.
Napoleon, in 1800, reintroduced the names lieu, mille, perche, palme,
doigt, trait, muid, setier, pinte, boisseau, velte, verre, solive, millier,
quintal, livre, once, gros, denier, and grain. These had metric values,
which led to confusion as to which value was meant; old or metric.
Napoleon also decreed in 1812 as usual measures:
1 toise = 2 m�tres
1 aune = 12 d�cim�tres
1 livre = 500 grammes
1 boisseau = 1/8 hectolitre
and to subdivide these measure in halves, quarters, eigths, etc. It was
only in 1840 that the true metric system came to be enforced in France. In
the meantime it had been adopted in the Netherlands, Belgium and Luxemburg
in 1816, and Greece in 1836.
My information comes from "Le Syst�me m�trique" by H. Moreau, published by
Editions Chiron, 1975.
Joseph B.Reid
17 Glebe Road West
Toronto M5P 1C8 TEL. 416-486-6071
