On 2010/05/08, at 04:50 , Carleton MacDonald wrote:
Neat map of San Francisco from 1915. Expand the size, then check out
the scale in the lower right corner. 1915!
Carleton
http://sf-nic.com/railroads/Chevalier-6000.jpg
Dear Carleton,
Thanks for your reference to the 1915 map of San Francisco. Let me put
your map into an historical context with the four references below. It
seems that the mood of that time was to support metrication not only
for the USA, but also for the UK (as shown by Bramwell's vigourous
resistance) and for Australia.
Obviously, one of the most important of these initiatives was the
foundation of the U.S. Metric Association (USMA) in 1916. This, more
than the other events, illustrates the mood of metrication leaders at
that time.
1911
One of the leading antagonists of metric reform in the UK, Sir
Frederick Bramwell, wrote:
It is in the interest of British industry to retain British weights
and measures because they are the best and most practical. Moreover,
industrialists from the metric countries have been encountering
difficulties in the Far Eastern market where the British weights and
measures had gained earlier acceptance, and this constitutes an
advantage that helps our merchants and industrialists in retaining
their hold on those regions.
Frederick Bramwell's view was put more tersely by the Australian
journal The Surveyor of Sydney:
Sir Frederick Bramwell is wont to assert that we enjoy an advantage
over foreigners because we can readily grasp their metric measures
while they will never be able to understand ours. (1911 January 31).
1915
E Guillaume from Switzerland was appointed as Director of BIPM. He was
Director from 1915 to 1936
1916 December 16
A group of businessmen, educators, and consumers met to form the
American Metric Association. This is now the United States Metric
Association (USMA). Their purpose was to advocate the adoption of the
metric system in USA commerce and education. They held their first
meeting as a separate part of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS). USMA became an affiliate of AAAS and
has continued this affiliation with AAAS to this day.
The main speaker at the first meeting was Madam Maria Montessori, the
Italian originator of the Montessori teaching methods that are still
in use throughout the world. She explained how the metric system was
used in Italy and stated:
… the advantage of the metric system over other systems is shown by
its simplicity and the ease which it gives to accomplishing all
research work.
1918
The USA War Department issued a General Order (No. 1) that stated:
The metric system has been adopted for use in France for all firing
data for artillery and machine guns, in the preparation of operation
orders, and in map construction. Artillery and machine gun material
for service abroad is being graduated accordingly. Instruction in the
metric system will be given to all concerned.
This extract is from the Metrication Timeline that you can find at
http://www.metricationmatters.com/docs/MetricationTimeline.pdf
Cheers,
Pat Naughtin
Author of the ebook, Metrication Leaders Guide, that you can obtain
from http://metricationmatters.com/MetricationLeadersGuideInfo.html
PO Box 305 Belmont 3216,
Geelong, Australia
Phone: 61 3 5241 2008
Metric system consultant, writer, and speaker, Pat Naughtin, has
helped thousands of people and hundreds of companies upgrade to the
modern metric system smoothly, quickly, and so economically that they
now save thousands each year when buying, processing, or selling for
their businesses. Pat provides services and resources for many
different trades, crafts, and professions for commercial, industrial
and government metrication leaders in Asia, Europe, and in the USA.
Pat's clients include the Australian Government, Google, NASA, NIST,
and the metric associations of Canada, the UK, and the USA. See http://www.metricationmatters.com
for more metrication information, contact Pat at [email protected]
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