They were off by 1.61 country kilometers (a country mile). It turns out that Americans weren't ready to switch from inches, miles, pounds and tons to centimeters, kilometers, grams and kilograms. Instead of the future we were promised – where everything would be measured in some sort of base-10 system, our leaders refused to give 2.54 centimeters (an inch). Decades later, it seems like a dream.
As it was explained to us in those days, the metric system made sense. Rather than 16 ounces to a pound or 12 inches to a foot or three feet to a yard or 5,280 feet to a mile or 212 degrees to boil water, the metric system was all based around the number 10.
There were 10 millimeters in a centimeter. One hundred centimeters in a meter. One thousands meters in a kilometer. Water boiled at 100 degrees.
Same thing with weights. There were 1,000 milligrams in a gram. There were 1,000 grams in a kilogram. And so on, with various versions of centi-, deci-, milli-, kilo- and even mega- as the acceptable prefixes. Once you learned the prefixes, you could figure out anything.
It was really a good way to get more bounce for the 28.34 grams (ounce) from math and language. Simple.
But it never happened and really, it should have been no surprise.
In an era of dawning globalism, supporters of the metric system insisted that we were out of the mainstream. We needed to speak the way the rest of the world spoke and they didn't want a halfway solution. They wanted to go the whole 8.23 meters (nine yards).
In elementary school, we didn't argue. We didn't know better. It made sense to us.
However, those in charge of teaching us were trying to ignore the 362-kilogram (800-pound) gorilla in the room. Our parents and grandparents were Americans and weren't going to compromise.
They set their sights beyond just on avoiding a full conversion Our parents and grandparents figured the old adage was true: Give 2.54 centimeters (an inch) and they'll take 1.61 kilometers (a mile).
Frankly, by looking back, it's obvious that no version of the metric system would be made standard in America without traditionalists taking their 0.45 kilograms (pound) of flesh. They needed something back and when it was obvious that gas prices weren't coming down, there was little that the metric-loving world could promise America, other than to be considered "mainstream."
I can only presume that when metric supporters realized what they were up against, it must have hit them like 907.19 kilograms (a ton) of bricks. This wasn't going to work.
In retrospect, it seems almost silly. Decades later, we remain an outlier in the world, with our miles and pounds and inches and other strange measurements. While the rest of the world operates in base 10, we have to use our smartphones to remind us how many ounces are in a pound – and in a gallon, since we use the same word for volume and weight measurements.
If I were in charge, I'd say we should slowly convert to the metric system. Not going all out, but doing one thing at a time: Let's start with weights, for instance, and when that changes has been made, we can move on to other measurements. Like the old saying, a journey of 1,609 kilometers (1,000 miles) begins with a single step.
Then we can . . .
Wait a minute. I can see it already.
In the same way as proponents of the metric system were ridiculed in the 1970s, I will be marginalized and mocked for this proposal.
I've changed my mind. Now that I think about it, I wouldn't touch the metric system with a 3.05-meter (10-foot) pole!
Reach Brad Stanhope at bradstanhope@hotmail.com.
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