And what is more, 'mesures uselles' can be translated as 'customary units'. It was also called 'systeme metrique usuel - metric customary system'. According to the myth Napoleon metricated Europe. When I started to reseach Dutch metrication years ago l suspected that Napoleon had in fact nothing to do with it. Then, when studying the archives, I found out what Napoleon had really done. The decree that made these bastard units legal (the Imperial Decree of 1812-02-12, next year is its 200th anniversary) talked about 'instruments de mesure - measuring instruments' to be brought in with subdivisions adapted 'au besoin du people - to meet the needs of the people'. In 1816-02-21, the use of the decimal metric system was banned in the retail trades. The metric system seemed to be making its 'last stand at the Alamo!'. The reforms of the calendar and time had already failed. Yet in the same year, 1816, The Netherlands decided to go metric by law of August 21. These six months in 1816 were the nadir of the metric system! The tide slowy turned and the ban was revoked in 1825. In the autumn of 1836, an all out metric counter offensive started, and ended in 1837 with a resounding victory and complete French metrication: the 'Loi du 4 Julliet 1837 concernant les Poids et Mesures'. I wonder what would have happened if these units had not been adopted in France. I think that the USA and the UK would have gone metric in the 19th century. Yes, Napoleons 'systeme metrique usuel', carried on in its Anglo-Saxon versions, is still with us!
----- Original Message ----- From: Pat Naughtin To: U.S. Metric Association Sent: Friday, 2011, May 13 4:20 Subject: [USMA:50458] US Customary On 2011/05/13, at 08:18 , John M. Steele wrote: "It should also be considered to make the story accessible to international readers, who generally have a poor understanding of US Customary." Whatever "US Customary" is! I understand that US Customary is fully metric at this time in 2011 since all the old measuring words (such as inch, ounce, pint, mile, pound, and ton) have all been defined by metric system units since 1959 or 1893. Currently, US Customary measuring words have the same status that Napoleon's "mesures usuelle" had between 1812 and 1839. US Customary is just a way to use new definitions -- that never existed before 1893 or 1959 -- to protect some old measuring words to which many, perhaps most, of the citizens of the USA have become accustomed and think they understand. In short (to paraphrase John Steele) many, perhaps most, citizens of the USA also "have a poor understanding of US Customary." Cheers, Pat Naughtin LCAMS Author of the ebook, Metrication Leaders Guide, see http://metricationmatters.com/MetricationLeadersGuideInfo.html Hear Pat speak at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lshRAPvPZY 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] or to get the free 'Metrication matters' newsletter go to: http://www.metricationmatters.com/newsletter to subscribe.
