1 00:00:00,200 --> 00:00:27,479 Speaker 1: Ridiculous History is a production of iHeartRadio. Welcome back to 2 00:00:27,520 --> 00:00:30,800 Speaker 1: the show, fellow Ridiculous Historians. Thank you, as always so 3 00:00:31,000 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 1: much for tuning in. Let's have an R made for 4 00:00:33,920 --> 00:00:35,920 Speaker 1: our super producer, mister Max Williams. 5 00:00:37,200 --> 00:00:38,800 Speaker 2: I and R. 6 00:00:40,840 --> 00:00:44,800 Speaker 1: You're Noel Brown, I'm Ben Bowling Noel. What would your 7 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:48,960 Speaker 1: pirate name be if you had to choose one? Ooh goodness, 8 00:00:49,000 --> 00:00:50,880 Speaker 1: gracious put me on the spot. Why don't you? 9 00:00:51,120 --> 00:00:54,480 Speaker 2: Uh? I mean, I don't know, like long John something, 10 00:00:54,600 --> 00:00:55,400 Speaker 2: Perhaps that's good. 11 00:00:55,520 --> 00:00:55,920 Speaker 1: I like that. 12 00:00:56,080 --> 00:00:58,760 Speaker 2: I like John long John Platinum a. 13 00:00:58,880 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 1: Long time plus, so I would probably get tagged with 14 00:01:04,040 --> 00:01:08,480 Speaker 1: something like bend the Red yeah, and which which would 15 00:01:08,520 --> 00:01:11,680 Speaker 1: be funny because I can't because I'm partially red green 16 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:12,279 Speaker 1: color blinds. 17 00:01:12,319 --> 00:01:16,199 Speaker 2: So we're wearing a red hat currently. Oh oh really weird? Okay, 18 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:19,120 Speaker 2: so I got elephants on. It's really good, thank you. 19 00:01:19,680 --> 00:01:23,760 Speaker 1: Uh. Here in the US, we do love nicknames. We 20 00:01:23,840 --> 00:01:27,479 Speaker 1: also love weird comparisons. It's kind of a known joke 21 00:01:27,560 --> 00:01:32,319 Speaker 1: in our culture today that we will, in general come 22 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:37,160 Speaker 1: up with any comparison to avoid the metric system. Right. 23 00:01:37,280 --> 00:01:40,040 Speaker 2: Well, wolves and oranges, as we like to say. 24 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:43,600 Speaker 1: I saw his story a while back about wearing. A 25 00:01:43,720 --> 00:01:48,160 Speaker 1: newscaster described an alligator as ariana grande sized. 26 00:01:48,600 --> 00:01:51,760 Speaker 2: Well, yeah, I can see that she's she's kind of compact. 27 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:53,520 Speaker 1: As a unit of measurement. You know, are we. 28 00:01:53,520 --> 00:01:57,920 Speaker 2: Talking about her ponytail length? That's yeah, okay, got it. Yeah. 29 00:01:57,960 --> 00:02:00,880 Speaker 1: But you know, well, you always see those comparisons where 30 00:02:00,880 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 1: they're like this, you know, this object is about the 31 00:02:04,360 --> 00:02:08,440 Speaker 1: size of four quarter pounders, or this is this many 32 00:02:08,480 --> 00:02:12,440 Speaker 1: football fields, when it would be much more rational and 33 00:02:12,600 --> 00:02:16,160 Speaker 1: sane to just use the metric system. It's almost like 34 00:02:16,240 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: our country has a phobia about this, like we only 35 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:24,280 Speaker 1: talk about the metric system here in general when we're 36 00:02:24,320 --> 00:02:27,240 Speaker 1: speaking about science, drugs, or firearms. 37 00:02:27,320 --> 00:02:29,720 Speaker 2: It's true. I always think of the clip from pulp 38 00:02:29,760 --> 00:02:32,080 Speaker 2: fiction where it goes, they ain't got they got the 39 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,240 Speaker 2: metric system over there, they wouldn't know what a quarter 40 00:02:34,280 --> 00:02:34,880 Speaker 2: pounder is. 41 00:02:35,800 --> 00:02:41,040 Speaker 1: Roy I love his accent though in too so, even 42 00:02:41,040 --> 00:02:43,240 Speaker 1: though it's a laugh, and there are loads of examples 43 00:02:43,280 --> 00:02:46,280 Speaker 1: that we might get to later. Today, there is a 44 00:02:46,280 --> 00:02:49,960 Speaker 1: conundrument at play, like why didn't the US catch up 45 00:02:49,960 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: with the rest of planet Earth, with the rest of 46 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:56,760 Speaker 1: human civilization. Why are we so averse to the metric system. 47 00:02:57,040 --> 00:03:01,280 Speaker 1: According to one legend, the answer may be pirates. 48 00:03:01,440 --> 00:03:11,560 Speaker 2: Ah. Yes, of course we fear change and pirate. So 49 00:03:11,600 --> 00:03:16,200 Speaker 2: what is in fact the metric system? For any of 50 00:03:16,240 --> 00:03:20,480 Speaker 2: you non US residing ridiculous historians, this could well be 51 00:03:20,639 --> 00:03:24,079 Speaker 2: old beans to you, as you would say, mister Boland, 52 00:03:24,080 --> 00:03:26,360 Speaker 2: but it's definitely something that we as Americans really do 53 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:28,760 Speaker 2: need to wrap our head around. Like, the metric system 54 00:03:28,800 --> 00:03:31,520 Speaker 2: is humanity's most popular form of measurement. It is a 55 00:03:31,560 --> 00:03:34,720 Speaker 2: decimal system of weights and measures based on the meter 56 00:03:35,120 --> 00:03:39,160 Speaker 2: for length and the kilo or kilogram for mass. 57 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,040 Speaker 1: And we owe this to the French Revolution. 58 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:46,360 Speaker 2: Yeah, it came up in our last episode, Yeah, of 59 00:03:46,440 --> 00:03:50,240 Speaker 2: seventeen eighty nine. It ushered in a lot of chaos, 60 00:03:50,480 --> 00:03:55,040 Speaker 2: and along with that it ushered in some pretty solid innovations, 61 00:03:55,080 --> 00:03:58,160 Speaker 2: like the metric system or the guillotine. Ah, yes, Neil, 62 00:03:58,520 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 2: that'll chestnut love. It a very very very efficient way 63 00:04:01,960 --> 00:04:04,720 Speaker 2: of murdering a human. And interestingly enough, I think this 64 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:07,520 Speaker 2: has come up in recent episodes. Two was still in 65 00:04:07,680 --> 00:04:10,520 Speaker 2: use much more recently than folks might think. 66 00:04:11,440 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, and this was terrible for the executioner industry. You know, 67 00:04:15,680 --> 00:04:17,840 Speaker 1: they were automating people's jobs. 68 00:04:18,160 --> 00:04:21,560 Speaker 2: They're taking our jobs. Our friends of Batanaga have this 69 00:04:21,680 --> 00:04:24,120 Speaker 2: to say about it. We love our friends in Britannica. 70 00:04:24,320 --> 00:04:27,159 Speaker 2: In seventeen ninety one, the French National Assembly directed the 71 00:04:27,160 --> 00:04:29,960 Speaker 2: French Academy of Sciences to address the chaotic state of 72 00:04:30,040 --> 00:04:33,040 Speaker 2: French weights and measures. It was decided that the new 73 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:37,040 Speaker 2: system would be based on a natural physical unit to 74 00:04:37,160 --> 00:04:41,080 Speaker 2: ensure immutability. Love that word. The Academy settled in the 75 00:04:41,120 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 2: length of one ten millionth of a quadrant of a 76 00:04:46,160 --> 00:04:49,320 Speaker 2: great circle of Earth. Might need to unpack this a 77 00:04:49,360 --> 00:04:52,000 Speaker 2: little bit measured around the poles of the meridian passing 78 00:04:52,040 --> 00:04:55,719 Speaker 2: through Paris being the center of the universe, and Arduis 79 00:04:55,760 --> 00:04:59,119 Speaker 2: six year survey which eventually yielded a value of thirty 80 00:04:59,200 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 2: nine point three seven zero zero eight inches for the 81 00:05:02,520 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 2: new unit to be called the meter from Greek metron, 82 00:05:06,279 --> 00:05:07,480 Speaker 2: meaning measure. 83 00:05:07,920 --> 00:05:12,640 Speaker 1: There we go simple enough, right, and things move quickly 84 00:05:12,760 --> 00:05:17,120 Speaker 1: from there. By seventeen ninety nine we see the emergence 85 00:05:17,160 --> 00:05:20,720 Speaker 1: of the meta and kilogram of the archives, which is 86 00:05:20,800 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 1: a flawless French accent. There these are platinum embodiments, artifacts 87 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:30,839 Speaker 1: that show us what a kilogram weighs and how long 88 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: a meter is. They're the legal standards for all measurement 89 00:05:34,040 --> 00:05:37,920 Speaker 1: in France, and the motto of the metric system is 90 00:05:38,040 --> 00:05:41,800 Speaker 1: really cool. It's kind of inspiring. It's for all people, 91 00:05:42,040 --> 00:05:44,040 Speaker 1: for all time. Nice. 92 00:05:44,160 --> 00:05:46,720 Speaker 2: You know, I do like that. It is efficient, it 93 00:05:46,800 --> 00:05:51,400 Speaker 2: is egalitarian. By eighteen seventy five, the system went wide, 94 00:05:51,600 --> 00:05:56,320 Speaker 2: went global international with the signing of the Treaty of 95 00:05:56,360 --> 00:05:59,480 Speaker 2: the Meter. It's fun and the establishment of the International 96 00:05:59,480 --> 00:06:02,440 Speaker 2: Bureau of Weights and Measures Treaty of. 97 00:06:02,400 --> 00:06:06,880 Speaker 1: The Meter and Weights. Okay, so International Bureau of Weights 98 00:06:06,880 --> 00:06:10,200 Speaker 1: and Measures sounds like a weird band I would hear 99 00:06:10,240 --> 00:06:11,360 Speaker 1: in Athens, Georgia. 100 00:06:11,560 --> 00:06:16,000 Speaker 2: Agreed. Yeah, I'm gonna I'm gonna copy that. Of the 101 00:06:16,040 --> 00:06:17,360 Speaker 2: Meter is their album. 102 00:06:17,600 --> 00:06:22,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think we're onto something here. Look, the metric 103 00:06:22,080 --> 00:06:26,440 Speaker 1: system is not perfect, but it is way way better 104 00:06:26,720 --> 00:06:31,080 Speaker 1: than the often arbitrary measurement systems of the past. It's 105 00:06:31,120 --> 00:06:36,080 Speaker 1: a political it's based in science. It establishes uniformity for 106 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:39,400 Speaker 1: everyone involved with the metric system. You no longer have 107 00:06:39,480 --> 00:06:43,760 Speaker 1: to worry about a span being different in one town 108 00:06:44,680 --> 00:06:45,200 Speaker 1: to another. 109 00:06:45,360 --> 00:06:47,240 Speaker 2: You know, like it is a little it is a political, 110 00:06:47,279 --> 00:06:49,159 Speaker 2: but it does have a little bit of that Viva 111 00:06:49,240 --> 00:06:51,520 Speaker 2: la France. Vibe to it, and that Paris was the 112 00:06:51,560 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 2: center of the measurements and questions. 113 00:06:54,600 --> 00:06:57,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's just like Greenwich meantime, you know. 114 00:06:58,160 --> 00:07:00,479 Speaker 2: But it's not like they brag about it or that 115 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:04,200 Speaker 2: it's inherent in the naming conventions, right, but it's just, 116 00:07:04,320 --> 00:07:07,400 Speaker 2: you know, that's how they derived that thirty seven point whatever. 117 00:07:07,760 --> 00:07:10,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, they gave the Greeks their their credit. They get 118 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:13,400 Speaker 1: a shout out. They didn't call the meter the Paris 119 00:07:13,520 --> 00:07:14,600 Speaker 1: Now anythink. 120 00:07:14,360 --> 00:07:18,360 Speaker 2: Yes, that's true. That is everyone, of course, except for 121 00:07:18,640 --> 00:07:23,400 Speaker 2: the United States, along with Liberia and meandmar that's a 122 00:07:23,520 --> 00:07:29,560 Speaker 2: story for a different day, accepted these these conventions, right. Yeah. 123 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 1: So to answer the question about the US and its 124 00:07:33,040 --> 00:07:36,200 Speaker 1: fraud relationship with the metric system, we would like to 125 00:07:36,240 --> 00:07:40,800 Speaker 1: share with you an incredibly popular legend travel back with us, 126 00:07:40,800 --> 00:07:44,800 Speaker 1: fellow ridiculous historians. The US still has that new car smell, 127 00:07:44,960 --> 00:07:47,320 Speaker 1: even though cars have not been invented yet. 128 00:07:47,440 --> 00:07:51,200 Speaker 2: So as a result, this new nation under God, it's 129 00:07:51,240 --> 00:07:54,760 Speaker 2: a bit of an shiit sa shoe w this. Every 130 00:07:54,800 --> 00:07:57,920 Speaker 2: state agreed to be part of this new country. However, 131 00:07:58,240 --> 00:08:00,600 Speaker 2: there were a lot of details to work out. Different 132 00:08:00,640 --> 00:08:04,520 Speaker 2: parts of the country, different regions, had different identities, different 133 00:08:04,720 --> 00:08:11,600 Speaker 2: perhaps opinions, different political leanings, and that also includes something 134 00:08:11,640 --> 00:08:14,679 Speaker 2: as simple, seemingly a political as how to go about 135 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:18,000 Speaker 2: measuring things. So for some reason Thomas Jefferson was really 136 00:08:18,120 --> 00:08:20,600 Speaker 2: vexed by this lack of continuity. 137 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:23,640 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, it was a real bug on his shoulder, 138 00:08:23,800 --> 00:08:26,960 Speaker 1: and yeah it's a real crossbow is But you know, 139 00:08:27,640 --> 00:08:31,560 Speaker 1: at the time of the American Revolution, these thirteen colonies 140 00:08:32,760 --> 00:08:40,040 Speaker 1: more or less used a presently defunct English measuring system ounces, pounds, feet, miles. 141 00:08:40,880 --> 00:08:45,400 Speaker 1: It sounds familiar to the present system in the United States, 142 00:08:45,760 --> 00:08:47,680 Speaker 1: but it's not quite the same. So if you go 143 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:51,760 Speaker 1: to boffins like Keith Martin at the National Institute of 144 00:08:51,800 --> 00:08:56,040 Speaker 1: Standards and Technology, you'll see that in New York, according 145 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:59,959 Speaker 1: to Keith, people were using Dutch measurement systems, makes sense, 146 00:09:00,280 --> 00:09:04,280 Speaker 1: but in New England they were using English systems. The 147 00:09:04,360 --> 00:09:07,960 Speaker 1: way things were measured literally changed from one state to 148 00:09:08,040 --> 00:09:10,840 Speaker 1: the next, and as we can all imagine, that's not 149 00:09:10,960 --> 00:09:15,439 Speaker 1: great for business. Here's the legend. The metric system, as 150 00:09:15,480 --> 00:09:19,040 Speaker 1: we said, it emerges in France seventeen ninety one. Just 151 00:09:19,160 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 1: a few years later, according to the story, old Tommy 152 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:26,120 Speaker 1: J who is now the Secretary of State. Hears about 153 00:09:26,120 --> 00:09:30,320 Speaker 1: this new French system. He's intrigued. He says, maybe this 154 00:09:30,360 --> 00:09:34,520 Speaker 1: will help solve America's measurement madness are phrased. 155 00:09:34,320 --> 00:09:38,280 Speaker 2: His Yeah, it's sort of like reform madness, not as fun. No, 156 00:09:38,360 --> 00:09:40,920 Speaker 2: revermads doesn't fun at all. Never mind, take that back. 157 00:09:41,000 --> 00:09:43,559 Speaker 2: That was a really gnarly propaganda war against them. 158 00:09:43,600 --> 00:09:45,800 Speaker 1: Oh, let's keep it. Listen, more people should know about 159 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:46,719 Speaker 1: reformatag Yeah. 160 00:09:46,760 --> 00:09:48,960 Speaker 2: No, I'm saying keep it. But it wasn't fun. 161 00:09:49,240 --> 00:09:49,760 Speaker 1: Oh it wasn't. 162 00:09:49,840 --> 00:09:52,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, it sounds like it might be. We read for madness. 163 00:09:52,480 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 2: Everyone's walking up having a good time. No, that is 164 00:09:56,200 --> 00:09:58,800 Speaker 2: not what it was. It was an absolute moral panic 165 00:09:58,840 --> 00:10:02,480 Speaker 2: that was manufactured in order to other minorities. 166 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:09,800 Speaker 1: Yeah, the main fear being misingenation. So weirdly enough, So okay. 167 00:10:10,760 --> 00:10:15,120 Speaker 1: Tommy J. Writes to his colleagues, his fellow thought leaders 168 00:10:15,200 --> 00:10:18,640 Speaker 1: over in France, and they hatch a plan. They're going 169 00:10:18,720 --> 00:10:23,079 Speaker 1: to send a scientist, a botanist, an aristocrat, not three guys, 170 00:10:23,200 --> 00:10:26,440 Speaker 1: all the same guy named Joseph Dombi. He's going to 171 00:10:26,440 --> 00:10:30,120 Speaker 1: cross the Atlantic. He's going to visit Jefferson, and on 172 00:10:30,240 --> 00:10:34,320 Speaker 1: his person he will have two strange artifacts, a rod 173 00:10:34,640 --> 00:10:38,680 Speaker 1: that measures exactly a meter and a small copper cylinder. 174 00:10:38,720 --> 00:10:40,800 Speaker 1: It's got a little handle on the top. It's about 175 00:10:40,840 --> 00:10:44,880 Speaker 1: three inches tall, it's about three inches wide. It weighs 176 00:10:44,920 --> 00:10:49,199 Speaker 1: exactly one kilogram. So the idea is that if Dombie 177 00:10:49,240 --> 00:10:53,720 Speaker 1: can get over to the new United States and talk 178 00:10:53,760 --> 00:10:57,240 Speaker 1: with Jefferson, then maybe they can they can get the 179 00:10:57,360 --> 00:11:03,520 Speaker 1: US on board with this French ciss them. Unfortunately, Dombie's 180 00:11:03,640 --> 00:11:04,319 Speaker 1: travels do. 181 00:11:04,320 --> 00:11:07,680 Speaker 2: Not go well, No they don't. His ship passes through 182 00:11:07,720 --> 00:11:11,480 Speaker 2: a massive storm in the Atlantic that blows the vessel 183 00:11:11,840 --> 00:11:16,200 Speaker 2: far Afield, far south of the Mark into the Caribbean Sea. 184 00:11:16,280 --> 00:11:20,760 Speaker 2: And the Caribbean was a particularly rough neighborhood populated by 185 00:11:20,880 --> 00:11:26,600 Speaker 2: roving bands of British privateers aka more or less pirates. 186 00:11:27,040 --> 00:11:30,400 Speaker 2: They weren't technically criminals, they were sort of these mercenaries 187 00:11:30,440 --> 00:11:34,840 Speaker 2: of the sea right. However, they capitalized on their more 188 00:11:34,960 --> 00:11:38,760 Speaker 2: or less lack of oversight from the British government and 189 00:11:38,800 --> 00:11:40,559 Speaker 2: sort of had a bit of a carte blanche, a 190 00:11:40,559 --> 00:11:42,760 Speaker 2: bit of a blank check to do whatever they wanted 191 00:11:42,840 --> 00:11:46,560 Speaker 2: to whomever they wanted, because they controlled the high seas 192 00:11:46,640 --> 00:11:48,560 Speaker 2: and they actually did have a bit of co sign 193 00:11:48,800 --> 00:11:52,920 Speaker 2: for some of these nasty shenanigans. They were in fact 194 00:11:53,200 --> 00:11:57,319 Speaker 2: encouraged by the British to harass, attack, and disrupt any 195 00:11:57,880 --> 00:12:02,040 Speaker 2: perceived enemy ship lanes shipping activities. 196 00:12:02,160 --> 00:12:05,440 Speaker 1: Right yeah, because let's keep in mind the British are 197 00:12:05,520 --> 00:12:08,640 Speaker 1: still a little bit irritated that the United States is 198 00:12:08,640 --> 00:12:11,960 Speaker 1: a thing not loving me. They're they're not feeling it, 199 00:12:11,960 --> 00:12:16,719 Speaker 1: they're not vibing. So these pirates, in all but name, 200 00:12:16,800 --> 00:12:20,559 Speaker 1: these privateers, they take over the ship that Dombie is 201 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:25,200 Speaker 1: on and they imprison him on an island that they control, Mansarrat, 202 00:12:25,559 --> 00:12:30,720 Speaker 1: and they are thinking, Okay, this is a pretty fancy guy, right, 203 00:12:30,760 --> 00:12:35,080 Speaker 1: he's clearly upper class. Let's ransom him, you know what 204 00:12:35,120 --> 00:12:38,360 Speaker 1: I mean, let's make a little coin. Unfortunately for the 205 00:12:38,400 --> 00:12:43,160 Speaker 1: pirates and unfortunately for Domby, he dies in captivity. He 206 00:12:43,240 --> 00:12:46,400 Speaker 1: never makes it to the US, which means that the 207 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:49,760 Speaker 1: rod and the cylinder, the meter and the kilogram don't 208 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:50,920 Speaker 1: make it there either. 209 00:12:51,320 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 2: No, they don't. However, the pirates weren't interested in any 210 00:12:54,160 --> 00:12:58,320 Speaker 2: of the objects that Dombi was carrying, uh So they 211 00:12:58,320 --> 00:13:00,560 Speaker 2: were just auctioned off along with the rest of the 212 00:13:00,600 --> 00:13:03,840 Speaker 2: goods aboard the ship. So the story goes if Danbie 213 00:13:03,880 --> 00:13:07,120 Speaker 2: had not been let's just say, diverted by that storm 214 00:13:07,280 --> 00:13:13,000 Speaker 2: and waylaid by the hooliganery of these mates and their crew, 215 00:13:13,400 --> 00:13:15,880 Speaker 2: he may well have made it to Jefferson, and Jefferson 216 00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:19,280 Speaker 2: would have actually done his razzle dazzle on Congress, and 217 00:13:19,320 --> 00:13:22,920 Speaker 2: we all may well be full on metric heads today. 218 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:26,120 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's a fascinating tale, and I think it would 219 00:13:26,120 --> 00:13:31,880 Speaker 1: be great for ridiculous history cinema. It's widely cited as 220 00:13:32,040 --> 00:13:35,840 Speaker 1: a fact in any number of reputable US news sources, 221 00:13:36,400 --> 00:13:39,160 Speaker 1: so not just more tabloidy stuff like the New York Posts, 222 00:13:39,160 --> 00:13:42,559 Speaker 1: Sorry guys, that's true, but also things like the Washington Post. 223 00:13:43,200 --> 00:13:48,080 Speaker 1: The question is, is this story, as our friend Law 224 00:13:48,080 --> 00:13:51,720 Speaker 1: would say, is this the actual facts explanation for the 225 00:13:51,920 --> 00:13:57,280 Speaker 1: US's metric system phobia? Are pirates? Genuinely the reason America 226 00:13:57,320 --> 00:14:00,080 Speaker 1: doesn't mess with the metric system today. 227 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:02,320 Speaker 2: Have a little bit of an apocryphal vibe to it. 228 00:14:02,400 --> 00:14:04,800 Speaker 2: I'm not gonna lie right right, it feels like a 229 00:14:04,880 --> 00:14:06,960 Speaker 2: legend kind of you know what I mean, the stuff 230 00:14:06,960 --> 00:14:11,040 Speaker 2: of love legend. Absolutely a metric system needs one, right. 231 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:14,840 Speaker 1: We do know it is true that Dombie's ship was 232 00:14:14,960 --> 00:14:18,280 Speaker 1: captured Dombi was a real person and at the time 233 00:14:18,559 --> 00:14:22,360 Speaker 1: he was carrying these new measurement artifacts. We know that 234 00:14:22,440 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 1: he did die in captivity. There are letters informing Jefferson 235 00:14:26,040 --> 00:14:29,560 Speaker 1: about it, but the details and context of the time 236 00:14:30,000 --> 00:14:31,880 Speaker 1: show us to your point, Nol, the story is not 237 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:35,680 Speaker 1: as cut and dried as as we would like to 238 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:38,360 Speaker 1: bust the myths here. We're going to get some help 239 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:39,480 Speaker 1: from our friends at Snopes. 240 00:14:40,240 --> 00:14:43,640 Speaker 2: So Jefferson wasn't just intrigued by this new French system. 241 00:14:44,160 --> 00:14:46,840 Speaker 2: He was already, as you would say, Ben ten Toes 242 00:14:47,200 --> 00:14:50,600 Speaker 2: down with it on fixing America's measurement issue. So by 243 00:14:50,640 --> 00:14:53,920 Speaker 2: in the seventeen ninety before the French system came into affect, 244 00:14:53,960 --> 00:14:57,720 Speaker 2: Jefferson had already published and submitted to Congress a paper 245 00:14:58,240 --> 00:15:02,480 Speaker 2: on the topic of uniform measurements. And the report, however, 246 00:15:03,560 --> 00:15:06,560 Speaker 2: didn't really make it to the top of the stack. 247 00:15:06,680 --> 00:15:09,160 Speaker 2: Let's just say it kind of got sidelined a bit, 248 00:15:09,280 --> 00:15:12,200 Speaker 2: and as they call it in Hollywood, turnaround limbo. 249 00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:16,480 Speaker 1: Yeah, languished in limbo. Pictured this way. So he pitched 250 00:15:16,520 --> 00:15:20,960 Speaker 1: two different ideas for a uniform measurement system, and the 251 00:15:20,960 --> 00:15:25,600 Speaker 1: second one, the one that he really liked, was base 252 00:15:25,640 --> 00:15:27,640 Speaker 1: tend thing. It was. It was decimal. It was like 253 00:15:27,680 --> 00:15:31,400 Speaker 1: the French system, like the metric system today. Everybody that 254 00:15:31,480 --> 00:15:34,200 Speaker 1: he talked to about this, everybody they pitched on it, 255 00:15:34,880 --> 00:15:37,040 Speaker 1: kind of said, oh yeah, no, good point, Tom, we 256 00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:38,800 Speaker 1: gotta think about that one. 257 00:15:38,920 --> 00:15:39,080 Speaker 2: Right. 258 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:41,440 Speaker 1: We're gonna we're gonna put this right here on the 259 00:15:41,520 --> 00:15:43,560 Speaker 1: fridge with the other drawings. 260 00:15:43,640 --> 00:15:46,440 Speaker 2: We'll give you a gold star for exactly and give 261 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:48,120 Speaker 2: you a little bit of a participation award. 262 00:15:48,320 --> 00:15:51,120 Speaker 1: Yeah. After the game was out of boys his back pats, 263 00:15:51,440 --> 00:15:55,280 Speaker 1: everybody went on to do other things. Granted, at this 264 00:15:55,320 --> 00:15:58,280 Speaker 1: point in history of the United States, there was still 265 00:15:58,280 --> 00:15:59,920 Speaker 1: a lot of other stuff they needed to do. 266 00:16:00,400 --> 00:16:04,080 Speaker 2: For sure, early days, lots to be done. This consorted 267 00:16:04,160 --> 00:16:07,960 Speaker 2: be seen as certainly not priority number one by the 268 00:16:07,960 --> 00:16:11,440 Speaker 2: folks in charge. What happens to be a pet concern 269 00:16:11,840 --> 00:16:14,200 Speaker 2: of mister Jefferson, as we mentioned. 270 00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:17,120 Speaker 1: Right, like, is his passion project? Does he leave the 271 00:16:17,240 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 1: room and people all roll their eyes and chefs. 272 00:16:20,680 --> 00:16:23,040 Speaker 2: And again going on about the metric system. 273 00:16:23,240 --> 00:16:25,360 Speaker 1: What does that guy do? Isn't he supposed to be 274 00:16:25,440 --> 00:16:26,520 Speaker 1: Secretary of State? 275 00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:30,640 Speaker 2: You guys, we need to rethink this whole situation a bit. 276 00:16:30,920 --> 00:16:32,800 Speaker 1: It's like Elon musk and video games. 277 00:16:32,880 --> 00:16:36,120 Speaker 2: You know what I mean, man stuff, He's gonna come 278 00:16:36,120 --> 00:16:37,600 Speaker 2: for you, Ben, He's gonna come for you. 279 00:16:38,840 --> 00:16:41,680 Speaker 1: I'll have to try to do my best to doge it. 280 00:16:42,240 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 2: Yes, dojan weave, Dojiah Weave. There we go. 281 00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:56,760 Speaker 1: So the US didn't make any real progress toward unified 282 00:16:56,840 --> 00:16:59,400 Speaker 1: measurement until decades later, the eighteen twenties. 283 00:17:00,120 --> 00:17:05,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, after continuous prompting and poking and prodding from Tomas Jefferson, 284 00:17:05,640 --> 00:17:08,040 Speaker 2: like literally be like, hey, guys, them over here, look 285 00:17:08,040 --> 00:17:09,960 Speaker 2: at me, remember me. We need to work this out. 286 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:10,760 Speaker 2: It's a big deal. 287 00:17:12,040 --> 00:17:16,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's so we can conclude it is highly likely. 288 00:17:16,119 --> 00:17:19,720 Speaker 1: We can't prove this, but we can conclude that Dombie 289 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:23,680 Speaker 1: and piracy their role is somewhat overstated in the legend. 290 00:17:23,800 --> 00:17:27,520 Speaker 1: It's very likely that even if Dombie arrived safely with 291 00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:32,320 Speaker 1: his Chochke's in tow, the stalemate over measurements would have 292 00:17:32,560 --> 00:17:37,959 Speaker 1: persisted because it wasn't that people couldn't think of a 293 00:17:38,240 --> 00:17:41,560 Speaker 1: thing like the metric system. It was that no one really. 294 00:17:41,440 --> 00:17:45,480 Speaker 2: Cared, right except Tommy Jay, who cared a lot. And 295 00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:48,000 Speaker 2: can we also just say that, like it really seems 296 00:17:48,040 --> 00:17:51,920 Speaker 2: apocryphal of this notion that you know, the items were 297 00:17:51,960 --> 00:17:54,440 Speaker 2: the deal breaker, the staff and the whatever, you know 298 00:17:54,480 --> 00:17:56,359 Speaker 2: what I mean, Like, couldn't they just if it was 299 00:17:56,400 --> 00:17:59,040 Speaker 2: really that important to them, they could have found something else, 300 00:17:59,320 --> 00:18:02,600 Speaker 2: you know, Yeah, yeah, and they could have worked it out, right, 301 00:18:02,760 --> 00:18:03,880 Speaker 2: they could have figured it out. 302 00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:06,879 Speaker 1: Yeah. And so now we have to move to speaking 303 00:18:06,960 --> 00:18:11,080 Speaker 1: the artifacts. Let's quote that question that you and I 304 00:18:11,119 --> 00:18:13,520 Speaker 1: often get at the airport, what happened to our kilo? 305 00:18:14,480 --> 00:18:16,560 Speaker 2: We do? It's weird. I don't know why people think 306 00:18:16,560 --> 00:18:18,480 Speaker 2: the we're some sort of authority on this. It is 307 00:18:18,520 --> 00:18:20,480 Speaker 2: our burden to bear and it is a heavy one. 308 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:24,560 Speaker 2: But God knows what system we should use to weigh it, right, right, 309 00:18:24,720 --> 00:18:30,359 Speaker 2: We certainly don't. Maybe God does no comment FBI. Ultimately, though, 310 00:18:30,400 --> 00:18:32,840 Speaker 2: we do know a little bit about these artifacts. That 311 00:18:32,960 --> 00:18:38,719 Speaker 2: lost kilogram cylinder made it to America, eventually in the 312 00:18:38,720 --> 00:18:43,000 Speaker 2: hands of an American land surveyor named Andrew Ellicott, and 313 00:18:43,040 --> 00:18:45,639 Speaker 2: then it was passed down as a relic in the 314 00:18:45,680 --> 00:18:49,040 Speaker 2: Elicott family all the way up to nineteen fifty two. 315 00:18:49,520 --> 00:18:53,200 Speaker 2: And this is when a scion of the Ellicott family, 316 00:18:53,560 --> 00:18:58,600 Speaker 2: Andrew Ellicott Douglas, he realizes what they have a piece 317 00:18:58,640 --> 00:19:01,760 Speaker 2: of history. He's an astronom, and he doesn't try to 318 00:19:01,760 --> 00:19:04,119 Speaker 2: make a buck off this or anything. He gives it 319 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:07,959 Speaker 2: to the agency that later becomes the National Institute of 320 00:19:08,080 --> 00:19:11,960 Speaker 2: Standards and Technology or NIST NIST. 321 00:19:12,280 --> 00:19:12,760 Speaker 1: I love it. 322 00:19:12,840 --> 00:19:14,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, can we just take a quick moment to just 323 00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,600 Speaker 2: talk about just the idea of standardization, like the what 324 00:19:19,119 --> 00:19:21,879 Speaker 2: is so much less important than this, like this whole 325 00:19:22,240 --> 00:19:25,879 Speaker 2: you know discussion, like what is the objects? Because at 326 00:19:25,880 --> 00:19:27,760 Speaker 2: the end of the day, it's just about deciding and 327 00:19:27,800 --> 00:19:31,600 Speaker 2: agreeing what the number is and what we use. So 328 00:19:31,640 --> 00:19:34,479 Speaker 2: it's like whether it's this rod and this you know 329 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:37,919 Speaker 2: whatever pendance or whatever the crap these objects. It just 330 00:19:37,960 --> 00:19:40,200 Speaker 2: seems kind of beside the point and sort of getting 331 00:19:40,280 --> 00:19:43,240 Speaker 2: hung up on the wrong details. But I guess therein 332 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:46,960 Speaker 2: lies the conundrum of history and the politicization of seemingly 333 00:19:47,040 --> 00:19:49,760 Speaker 2: benign things, right, Yeah, exactly. 334 00:19:49,840 --> 00:19:52,919 Speaker 1: And we also know, I think that point about consensus 335 00:19:53,680 --> 00:19:56,320 Speaker 1: is really key here. We also know that the kilogram 336 00:19:56,840 --> 00:20:01,760 Speaker 1: has been redefined over the decades. The version that Dambi 337 00:20:01,960 --> 00:20:04,399 Speaker 1: was carrying that copper cylinder with a cute little handle, 338 00:20:04,840 --> 00:20:07,600 Speaker 1: it was almost certainly not the same mass as what 339 00:20:07,640 --> 00:20:12,159 Speaker 1: we consider the modern kilogram, which is a platinum iridium 340 00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:16,800 Speaker 1: thing still stored in France. Now, that's what all kilograms 341 00:20:16,800 --> 00:20:18,880 Speaker 1: and gram derivatives are based off. 342 00:20:19,280 --> 00:20:22,040 Speaker 2: The France does to this day kind of hold a 343 00:20:22,040 --> 00:20:26,000 Speaker 2: lot of prominence in the fields of science and education, 344 00:20:26,240 --> 00:20:28,919 Speaker 2: like the Sarball and like certain institutions there. I mean, 345 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,520 Speaker 2: they are still held up very high and revered, you know, 346 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:36,640 Speaker 2: across the world, although it does seem that to some degree, 347 00:20:36,800 --> 00:20:39,639 Speaker 2: the US still has sort of a weird little beef 348 00:20:39,680 --> 00:20:42,760 Speaker 2: with France in terms of just attitude. You know, this 349 00:20:42,800 --> 00:20:44,760 Speaker 2: is often a little bit of dismissiveness when you have 350 00:20:44,800 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 2: certain folks talking about the French. Yeah, I love, I 351 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:50,680 Speaker 2: love the French. I love all of the history that 352 00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:52,360 Speaker 2: we're talking about here. I think we're on the same 353 00:20:52,359 --> 00:20:53,960 Speaker 2: page there, you know what I mean though, isn't an 354 00:20:53,960 --> 00:20:58,239 Speaker 2: odd little kind of bit of not bigotry exactly, but 355 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:01,119 Speaker 2: sort of a little bit of an attitude. 356 00:21:00,640 --> 00:21:07,520 Speaker 1: Yeah, kind of a jocular animosity. It goes both ways too, 357 00:21:07,640 --> 00:21:13,280 Speaker 1: you know. Every time that's a perfect example. Yeah, every 358 00:21:13,280 --> 00:21:17,399 Speaker 1: time I'm hanging out in France. I've got some French 359 00:21:17,520 --> 00:21:21,920 Speaker 1: national friends in Amsterdam. Get a little ribbing for being 360 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:25,760 Speaker 1: from the States. But I think I like to think 361 00:21:25,920 --> 00:21:30,040 Speaker 1: it's well intentioned, and yeah, France is just amazing. The 362 00:21:30,080 --> 00:21:34,280 Speaker 1: food is better that that stereotype is true. But like 363 00:21:34,320 --> 00:21:41,080 Speaker 1: you're saying, the French American animosity aside, the United States 364 00:21:41,119 --> 00:21:46,040 Speaker 1: still hasn't gone fully metric. You can see legally required 365 00:21:46,480 --> 00:21:49,280 Speaker 1: metric conversions on all kinds of things, right like the 366 00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:54,520 Speaker 1: speedometer of your vehicle, the ingredient list or serving sized list, 367 00:21:54,560 --> 00:21:57,640 Speaker 1: and things you buy on the grocery store. But most 368 00:21:57,720 --> 00:22:02,400 Speaker 1: people are going to be talking in terms of inches, feet, ounces, pounds. 369 00:22:02,520 --> 00:22:04,360 Speaker 2: You know, could we take a minute and just talk 370 00:22:04,400 --> 00:22:09,080 Speaker 2: a little bit about why metric is better than that 371 00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:11,359 Speaker 2: what you just mentioned, Ben, what we use, like what 372 00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:15,440 Speaker 2: there is it because of these sort of basis in science, 373 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:20,080 Speaker 2: The basis in like physical you know, understandable objects and 374 00:22:20,560 --> 00:22:23,159 Speaker 2: feet and inches seems a little bit less so and 375 00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:24,760 Speaker 2: maybe a bit more arbitrary. 376 00:22:25,080 --> 00:22:28,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, I think you're I think you've kind of answered 377 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,040 Speaker 1: that right. It's easier to learn because it's a it's 378 00:22:31,080 --> 00:22:36,399 Speaker 1: a decimal system, but it's got gradation. Yeah. It also 379 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:41,200 Speaker 1: it doesn't it doesn't have some of the historical baggage 380 00:22:41,520 --> 00:22:47,359 Speaker 1: that other measurement systems have, you know, like feet, miles, yards, 381 00:22:48,440 --> 00:22:52,840 Speaker 1: those are just weird, right, And I think the biggest 382 00:22:52,840 --> 00:22:57,639 Speaker 1: point now too, is regardless of which system a person 383 00:22:57,720 --> 00:23:03,200 Speaker 1: may prefer individually, your point about consensus holds it is 384 00:23:04,280 --> 00:23:07,440 Speaker 1: a matter of what everyone agrees on it. And the 385 00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:10,320 Speaker 1: rest of the world said, tally ho, bully for the 386 00:23:10,359 --> 00:23:14,400 Speaker 1: metric system. We've all finally agreed on at least this 387 00:23:14,480 --> 00:23:18,960 Speaker 1: one thing, and the US said, nah, banana for scale. 388 00:23:18,800 --> 00:23:20,879 Speaker 2: Whereas over here it's like the question like, how long 389 00:23:21,040 --> 00:23:23,280 Speaker 2: is a yard I was the length of one yard stick? 390 00:23:24,080 --> 00:23:24,760 Speaker 1: Right, right, right? 391 00:23:24,840 --> 00:23:28,960 Speaker 2: Remember yardstick? That was very much a staple of elementary school. 392 00:23:29,000 --> 00:23:31,000 Speaker 2: I don't know why I'm thinking about the yard stick now. 393 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:32,920 Speaker 2: It doesn't really come up much anymore. Can you even 394 00:23:32,920 --> 00:23:34,840 Speaker 2: still buy yardsticks? Is that thing? Okay? 395 00:23:34,880 --> 00:23:37,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, you could buy them. It's just I think they're 396 00:23:37,200 --> 00:23:39,600 Speaker 1: less frequently seen in households. 397 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:40,440 Speaker 2: That makes sense. 398 00:23:40,640 --> 00:23:46,640 Speaker 1: You know, it's not quite as antiquated as the rotary telephone, 399 00:23:46,680 --> 00:23:49,040 Speaker 1: but it's getting there, you know what I mean. If 400 00:23:49,040 --> 00:23:51,320 Speaker 1: you have a yard stick, the yard stick is probably 401 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:54,280 Speaker 1: old and you probably got it from what are your relatives? 402 00:23:54,600 --> 00:23:56,800 Speaker 2: Now that being said, if we're talking about the UK, 403 00:23:57,080 --> 00:23:59,959 Speaker 2: they have a quite different use of the term yard 404 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:04,520 Speaker 2: It is a measurement of ale, a quite massive boot size, 405 00:24:04,800 --> 00:24:07,880 Speaker 2: you know, glass of ale, a yard a. 406 00:24:07,920 --> 00:24:14,439 Speaker 1: Yard of ale. So we love nerding out on this 407 00:24:14,560 --> 00:24:17,240 Speaker 1: kind of stuff. I think it's fair to say that 408 00:24:17,480 --> 00:24:19,919 Speaker 1: we're fans of the metric system, but we are not 409 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:24,600 Speaker 1: measurement experts ourselves. So we were all Noel Maxima. We're 410 00:24:24,640 --> 00:24:28,160 Speaker 1: all surprised to learn that the US has often had 411 00:24:28,359 --> 00:24:33,680 Speaker 1: brushes with metric modernity. The mission of Tommy J. Continues apace. 412 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:38,000 Speaker 1: In eighteen sixty six, Congress did authorize the use of 413 00:24:38,040 --> 00:24:41,960 Speaker 1: the metric system, and furthermore, they supplied every state with 414 00:24:42,040 --> 00:24:46,200 Speaker 1: a set of standard metric weights and measures that every 415 00:24:46,240 --> 00:24:47,840 Speaker 1: state apparently just. 416 00:24:47,880 --> 00:24:51,440 Speaker 2: Ignored, yeah, completely. In eighteen seventy five, the United States 417 00:24:51,480 --> 00:24:55,439 Speaker 2: signed the Convention do Meta Established It. That is a 418 00:24:55,640 --> 00:25:01,040 Speaker 2: very interesting name for a United States treaty establishing an 419 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 2: international body to maintain metric standards. In eighteen ninety three, however, 420 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,760 Speaker 2: all weights and measures used or defined with respect to 421 00:25:07,840 --> 00:25:11,480 Speaker 2: metric standards. So a pound is officially defined as point 422 00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:14,600 Speaker 2: four five three five nine two three seven kilograms, and 423 00:25:14,680 --> 00:25:18,000 Speaker 2: which is why, yeah, exactly in one yard is point 424 00:25:18,080 --> 00:25:20,080 Speaker 2: nine one four four meters. 425 00:25:20,119 --> 00:25:24,240 Speaker 1: Again, come on, you know what I mean, I feel 426 00:25:24,240 --> 00:25:25,840 Speaker 1: like Thomas Jefferson difficult. 427 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:27,040 Speaker 2: Come on. 428 00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:30,960 Speaker 1: So then there is in nineteen seventy five, and there's 429 00:25:30,960 --> 00:25:34,080 Speaker 1: some great MPR pieces about this as well. In nineteen 430 00:25:34,119 --> 00:25:37,840 Speaker 1: seventy five there's the Metric Conversion Act. And the Metric 431 00:25:37,920 --> 00:25:40,639 Speaker 1: Conversion Act is the one that is going to get 432 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:45,280 Speaker 1: us on the right path. They say, Look, per this Act, 433 00:25:45,720 --> 00:25:48,280 Speaker 1: the US is going to use the metric system of 434 00:25:48,359 --> 00:25:52,600 Speaker 1: measurement as our preferred system of weights and measures for 435 00:25:52,760 --> 00:25:58,480 Speaker 1: all US trade and commerce. Cool dandy, jolly good, the 436 00:25:58,640 --> 00:26:00,560 Speaker 1: public ignores once again. 437 00:26:00,640 --> 00:26:03,920 Speaker 2: The Act was later amended by the Omnibus Foreign Trade 438 00:26:03,960 --> 00:26:08,480 Speaker 2: and the Competitiveness Act that's a mouthful of nineteen eighty eight, 439 00:26:08,600 --> 00:26:12,959 Speaker 2: These Savings in Construction Act of nineteen ninety six, and 440 00:26:13,040 --> 00:26:17,119 Speaker 2: the Department of Energy High End Computing Revitalization Act of 441 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:19,880 Speaker 2: two thousand and four, which were all aimed at pushing 442 00:26:19,920 --> 00:26:23,119 Speaker 2: the use of the metric system. However, each of these 443 00:26:23,280 --> 00:26:26,840 Speaker 2: had their own varying degrees of success or lack thereof. 444 00:26:27,080 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, by which we mean no success exactly. 445 00:26:30,240 --> 00:26:31,160 Speaker 2: It's rough. 446 00:26:31,200 --> 00:26:34,080 Speaker 1: It's still you know. It's hold my yard of beer 447 00:26:34,160 --> 00:26:36,840 Speaker 1: banana for scale all the livelong day here in the 448 00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:49,040 Speaker 1: United States. We're not defending British privateers. We're not saying 449 00:26:49,160 --> 00:26:52,879 Speaker 1: pirates are super funkadelic or whatever. 450 00:26:53,119 --> 00:26:57,480 Speaker 2: But they're objectively pretty cool. The image of them is cool. 451 00:26:58,000 --> 00:27:01,040 Speaker 2: They did some horrific atrocity, yes. 452 00:27:01,040 --> 00:27:04,240 Speaker 1: And they were very dirty, but they also had systems 453 00:27:04,240 --> 00:27:09,080 Speaker 1: of democracy that were streets ahead rights of the government 454 00:27:09,280 --> 00:27:13,200 Speaker 1: or the governance you would see in official military vessels. 455 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:16,440 Speaker 2: What was that island that they had in the Caribbean. 456 00:27:16,440 --> 00:27:19,040 Speaker 2: I want to say, we did an episode Tortuga Tortuga 457 00:27:19,080 --> 00:27:21,960 Speaker 2: where they had like an excellent system of government that 458 00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:27,040 Speaker 2: seemed to function quite well. Ben, this is your research brief, 459 00:27:27,080 --> 00:27:30,320 Speaker 2: is it not? This is yeah, very very well done. 460 00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:33,400 Speaker 2: And you end with you leave us with you keep 461 00:27:33,400 --> 00:27:36,879 Speaker 2: making this reference to banana for scale. Let's go to 462 00:27:37,200 --> 00:27:41,240 Speaker 2: this Language Nerds site article that you found, which is 463 00:27:41,280 --> 00:27:45,200 Speaker 2: a series of fun kind of examples that show Americans 464 00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:48,680 Speaker 2: will measure with anything but the metric system. 465 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:51,479 Speaker 1: Yeah, what are my favorites? And you can find all 466 00:27:51,560 --> 00:27:54,600 Speaker 1: kinds of lists like this. Now that we've redeemed pirates, 467 00:27:55,400 --> 00:27:57,800 Speaker 1: it's not their fault that the US is not on 468 00:27:57,840 --> 00:27:58,879 Speaker 1: board with the metric system. 469 00:27:58,960 --> 00:28:01,399 Speaker 2: They did, they were not They were naughty. 470 00:28:01,640 --> 00:28:05,520 Speaker 1: They did capture probably kill that guy, but we wanted 471 00:28:05,560 --> 00:28:08,919 Speaker 1: to spend just a little time Palin about having some 472 00:28:08,960 --> 00:28:13,119 Speaker 1: fun with this weird notion that here in America we 473 00:28:13,160 --> 00:28:16,240 Speaker 1: will use any kind of made up measurement system other 474 00:28:16,280 --> 00:28:17,240 Speaker 1: than the metric system. 475 00:28:17,800 --> 00:28:20,800 Speaker 2: It's a grudge thing. It's very weird. I don't think 476 00:28:20,800 --> 00:28:24,080 Speaker 2: we fully unpacked that aspect. I think we've hinted at it, 477 00:28:24,280 --> 00:28:26,919 Speaker 2: but I think it's still TBD as to where the 478 00:28:26,960 --> 00:28:30,200 Speaker 2: long standing beef is. To your point about the pirates, 479 00:28:30,320 --> 00:28:32,359 Speaker 2: we've sort of debunked that a little bit, but yet 480 00:28:32,800 --> 00:28:38,040 Speaker 2: it continues this avoidance, this absolute rejection. It would seem 481 00:28:38,320 --> 00:28:40,840 Speaker 2: culturally of the metric system. I think maybe the people 482 00:28:40,840 --> 00:28:41,960 Speaker 2: think it's too European. 483 00:28:42,200 --> 00:28:45,760 Speaker 1: Maybe that's it. I bet you there's some xenophobia wrapped up. 484 00:28:45,800 --> 00:28:49,240 Speaker 1: There's probably just the inertia as well. Critical mass is 485 00:28:49,280 --> 00:28:52,040 Speaker 1: a hell of a drug, yes, right. So. One of 486 00:28:52,080 --> 00:28:57,120 Speaker 1: my favorite examples in this Language Nerds collection is a 487 00:28:57,160 --> 00:29:01,240 Speaker 1: picture of a toilet bowl. There's a real avertisement and 488 00:29:01,360 --> 00:29:05,760 Speaker 1: the picture of the comde you'll see a sign advertising 489 00:29:06,080 --> 00:29:09,160 Speaker 1: this is real, it's accommodations. Yeah, it says flush is 490 00:29:09,240 --> 00:29:13,360 Speaker 1: seven billiard balls in a single flush. Why can't you 491 00:29:13,440 --> 00:29:16,960 Speaker 1: just say what it is in the metric system billiard 492 00:29:17,040 --> 00:29:21,560 Speaker 1: ball sized poops? You know what, Maybe that's it. 493 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:24,120 Speaker 2: Those are some heavy poops, seriously, man, And can we 494 00:29:24,160 --> 00:29:26,520 Speaker 2: also just take a moment to talk about just like 495 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:30,120 Speaker 2: the idea of the foot, like it's sort of the 496 00:29:30,240 --> 00:29:33,120 Speaker 2: length of an average foot kind of human foot, but 497 00:29:33,160 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 2: also not. It's just I don't know, using that term 498 00:29:36,200 --> 00:29:39,080 Speaker 2: has always thrown me because one of these images you 499 00:29:39,120 --> 00:29:42,400 Speaker 2: found in this article is that no measuring tape, no problem, 500 00:29:42,440 --> 00:29:46,040 Speaker 2: your body will do approximately six feet two inches long. 501 00:29:46,560 --> 00:29:50,160 Speaker 2: And once again a foot of a human is approximately 502 00:29:50,720 --> 00:29:53,200 Speaker 2: the length of a foot of the measurements. Right. 503 00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, it's weird too, because you know that opens the 504 00:29:56,360 --> 00:29:59,600 Speaker 1: door for, like we were saying, arbitrary systems of measurements, 505 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:03,680 Speaker 1: where let's say the king says we're measured in feet 506 00:30:04,080 --> 00:30:07,480 Speaker 1: and the foot is based on my foot, and then 507 00:30:07,520 --> 00:30:12,240 Speaker 1: the king dies, right, we got a new king footing foot. 508 00:30:13,120 --> 00:30:15,920 Speaker 1: Another way, a sinkhole roughly the size of six to 509 00:30:16,040 --> 00:30:18,200 Speaker 1: seven washing machines or. 510 00:30:18,360 --> 00:30:22,160 Speaker 2: Two to three Honda odyssees, two to three Honda odyssees. 511 00:30:22,400 --> 00:30:26,880 Speaker 1: Oh, and then things like oh, this is the smallest mammal, 512 00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:29,600 Speaker 1: the bumblebee bad weighs less than one coin. 513 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:34,040 Speaker 2: What's what coin? What denomination? What are you talking about? America? God, 514 00:30:34,160 --> 00:30:37,440 Speaker 2: get off your high horse. We've got shop with space. 515 00:30:37,760 --> 00:30:42,280 Speaker 2: Give everyone four hangars of distance. I wish I had 516 00:30:42,280 --> 00:30:46,240 Speaker 2: that extra closet space. I think this is a callback 517 00:30:46,280 --> 00:30:50,120 Speaker 2: to maybe COVID times, a clever use of COVID social 518 00:30:50,200 --> 00:30:53,280 Speaker 2: distancing stickers, some of which you still see in like 519 00:30:53,320 --> 00:30:56,880 Speaker 2: subway stations and train stations, et cetera, but using it 520 00:30:56,920 --> 00:31:00,840 Speaker 2: as like an advertisement in hashtag in this together. Yes, 521 00:31:01,040 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 2: shop with space and these hangars, though, I gotta say, 522 00:31:03,640 --> 00:31:08,120 Speaker 2: ben are weirdly misshapen. These seem like it's absurdly squashed 523 00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:09,280 Speaker 2: and long hangers. 524 00:31:09,600 --> 00:31:14,040 Speaker 1: That's true. It feels like somebody got lazy in photoshop 525 00:31:14,760 --> 00:31:16,680 Speaker 1: just a little bit. But they're they're doing their best, 526 00:31:16,680 --> 00:31:21,280 Speaker 1: and they helpfully provide the real explanation of six feet, 527 00:31:21,520 --> 00:31:24,800 Speaker 1: but they don't say the meters at all. They just 528 00:31:24,880 --> 00:31:29,040 Speaker 1: have these four, as you said, deformed coat hangers. Give 529 00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:31,880 Speaker 1: everyone four deformed coat hangers of distance. 530 00:31:32,160 --> 00:31:36,360 Speaker 2: Got a great sweet from San Miguel's sheriff here describing 531 00:31:36,400 --> 00:31:40,280 Speaker 2: a traffic what do you call it? Obstruction? Large boulder. 532 00:31:40,440 --> 00:31:43,760 Speaker 2: The size of a small boulder is complete. What you 533 00:31:43,800 --> 00:31:46,320 Speaker 2: could have at least had a large boulder the size 534 00:31:46,320 --> 00:31:49,560 Speaker 2: of several small boulders still absurd, but at least a 535 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:52,400 Speaker 2: little better, because is it not just a small boulder 536 00:31:52,440 --> 00:31:55,120 Speaker 2: at this point, it's completely blocking eastbound lane Highway one 537 00:31:55,200 --> 00:31:59,720 Speaker 2: forty five? What the heck? Sam Miguel Sheriff. 538 00:32:00,640 --> 00:32:03,760 Speaker 1: Adult deer are as tall as a bicycle. They weigh 539 00:32:03,760 --> 00:32:05,760 Speaker 1: as much as eight hundred hamburgers. 540 00:32:05,880 --> 00:32:09,200 Speaker 2: That's really helpful that by that I mean not helpful 541 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:09,480 Speaker 2: at all. 542 00:32:09,520 --> 00:32:14,880 Speaker 1: Ah, yes, yeah, I agree. We've got this helpful quote 543 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:19,120 Speaker 1: unquote helpful explanation explaining to the average person in the 544 00:32:19,240 --> 00:32:21,720 Speaker 1: US how long six feet. 545 00:32:21,720 --> 00:32:25,160 Speaker 2: Is, which is already like the medadness of this. His 546 00:32:25,240 --> 00:32:27,719 Speaker 2: six feet is already absurd the concept, right, So now 547 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,280 Speaker 2: let's just measure it with other absurd things. We got 548 00:32:30,720 --> 00:32:33,200 Speaker 2: roughly three clarinets, okay. 549 00:32:32,800 --> 00:32:38,040 Speaker 1: M hm oh, one trombone if the slide is extended. 550 00:32:37,560 --> 00:32:41,640 Speaker 2: Which is a very important caveat one flagpole but come on, now, 551 00:32:41,800 --> 00:32:44,680 Speaker 2: that doesn't even make sense. What kind of flagpole one 552 00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:47,320 Speaker 2: in the in the a school yard has way longer 553 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:49,360 Speaker 2: than six feet, taller than six feet? What are we 554 00:32:49,360 --> 00:32:53,560 Speaker 2: talking like a color guard flagpole very unclear? Or one marimba, Oh, 555 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:58,720 Speaker 2: of course marimba, the marimba system and marimba's length, yes, okay, 556 00:32:58,760 --> 00:33:00,960 Speaker 2: and then of course three trumpets. 557 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,480 Speaker 1: And then they've got one joke that might give you 558 00:33:03,520 --> 00:33:06,400 Speaker 1: a chuckle. They say six feet is also the distance 559 00:33:06,520 --> 00:33:08,920 Speaker 1: one trumpet player, leaving room for ego. 560 00:33:09,160 --> 00:33:13,000 Speaker 2: That's funny. Yeah, trumpet players notoriously into themselves is I 561 00:33:13,080 --> 00:33:15,959 Speaker 2: don't know about this. I don't know man Miles Davis was, 562 00:33:16,040 --> 00:33:16,880 Speaker 2: that's for sure. 563 00:33:17,320 --> 00:33:21,600 Speaker 1: Yeah. But also any musician at that level, no matter 564 00:33:21,640 --> 00:33:23,640 Speaker 1: what they play, is going to be like that. Right. 565 00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:26,800 Speaker 2: I've met some particularly cocky marimba players in my day. 566 00:33:26,960 --> 00:33:31,280 Speaker 1: Really. Oh yeah, there's just something snooty about them. 567 00:33:31,440 --> 00:33:32,520 Speaker 2: The worst. 568 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:37,000 Speaker 1: I will say, Okay, this is not a personality stereotype, 569 00:33:37,240 --> 00:33:40,480 Speaker 1: but I will say, you've spent time in Nashville too. 570 00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:47,240 Speaker 1: There is an aura about pedal steel players because it's yeah, 571 00:33:47,320 --> 00:33:52,360 Speaker 1: especially the old timers. Yeah, they got a specific instrument 572 00:33:52,480 --> 00:33:55,840 Speaker 1: that can be difficult to learn. And when you see 573 00:33:56,160 --> 00:33:59,440 Speaker 1: Nashville is rife with beautiful music. When you see a 574 00:33:59,480 --> 00:34:03,280 Speaker 1: banding together to play in Nashville, often the pedal steel 575 00:34:03,360 --> 00:34:06,760 Speaker 1: guy kind of shows up at the last minute, does 576 00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:10,239 Speaker 1: his bit and ghost because he's going to play for 577 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:10,920 Speaker 1: another band. 578 00:34:11,200 --> 00:34:14,000 Speaker 2: Very true. It's a very hot commodity, the pedal steel player. 579 00:34:14,040 --> 00:34:16,200 Speaker 2: Because to your point, Bent, it's not something that your 580 00:34:16,239 --> 00:34:20,160 Speaker 2: average musician can just pick up from scratch. It definitely 581 00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:22,360 Speaker 2: requires a certain set of skills. And why don't one 582 00:34:22,400 --> 00:34:24,680 Speaker 2: for this last one bring it home to a flyer 583 00:34:24,800 --> 00:34:30,920 Speaker 2: from our very own Explored Georgia organization. He's encouraging, you know, 584 00:34:31,040 --> 00:34:34,360 Speaker 2: finding the outdoors here in the beautiful state of Georgia, 585 00:34:34,400 --> 00:34:36,439 Speaker 2: which is in fact quite beautiful this time of year. 586 00:34:36,880 --> 00:34:41,840 Speaker 2: Let's explore Georgia's safely once again social distancing. Let's stay 587 00:34:42,120 --> 00:34:48,360 Speaker 2: six feet apart aka one deer's length. Fun fact, the 588 00:34:48,400 --> 00:34:52,160 Speaker 2: white tailed deer is the official mammal of the state 589 00:34:52,200 --> 00:34:52,880 Speaker 2: of Georgia. 590 00:34:53,040 --> 00:34:56,800 Speaker 1: Beautiful. I've got to shut out one more please. It's 591 00:34:56,960 --> 00:34:59,000 Speaker 1: from our friends at Wisconsin. 592 00:34:59,520 --> 00:35:00,520 Speaker 2: At the State of Wisconsin. 593 00:35:00,640 --> 00:35:04,880 Speaker 1: Yes, for ten years, Wisconsin has recycled three hundred and 594 00:35:04,960 --> 00:35:08,520 Speaker 1: twenty five million pounds of electronics. That's the combined weight 595 00:35:08,560 --> 00:35:12,080 Speaker 1: of the Eiffel Tower, ten blue whales, the Brooklyn Bridge, 596 00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:16,719 Speaker 1: and five Statues of Liberty. They could have just used kilograms. 597 00:35:17,040 --> 00:35:18,799 Speaker 2: They could have just said a ton, and if they 598 00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:20,439 Speaker 2: wanted to be metric about it, they could have said 599 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:21,640 Speaker 2: a metric ton. 600 00:35:22,160 --> 00:35:25,480 Speaker 1: Yeah. Yeah, one metric ton is a thousand kilograms. 601 00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:29,799 Speaker 2: God, it makes sense. Whole numbers, guys, whole numbers, and. 602 00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:33,560 Speaker 1: Everybody else just calls it a ton. But here in 603 00:35:33,560 --> 00:35:36,320 Speaker 1: the US we call it a metric ton because. 604 00:35:37,560 --> 00:35:41,080 Speaker 2: USA weird man, yeah weird. Still still can't quite wrap 605 00:35:41,080 --> 00:35:43,160 Speaker 2: my head around it, but maybe it's not for us 606 00:35:43,200 --> 00:35:46,000 Speaker 2: to understand. But Ben, thank you for this incredible research 607 00:35:46,040 --> 00:35:47,680 Speaker 2: on this topic. I think we shed a lot of 608 00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:50,440 Speaker 2: light on it, and as much as we made it even. 609 00:35:50,320 --> 00:35:54,120 Speaker 1: Murkier, big big things of course, to our super producer 610 00:35:54,200 --> 00:35:59,240 Speaker 1: mister Max Williams, his biological bro Alex Williams, who composed. 611 00:35:58,800 --> 00:36:02,160 Speaker 2: This track true, Chris Frasciotis and he's Jeff cot Here 612 00:36:02,160 --> 00:36:04,920 Speaker 2: in spirit, Jonathan Strickland, the quiz or a j Bahamas, 613 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:06,960 Speaker 2: Jacob's the Puzzler. 614 00:36:07,000 --> 00:36:11,120 Speaker 1: Rachel Big Spinach, Lance, the Rude Dudes, a ridiculous crime. 615 00:36:11,680 --> 00:36:15,960 Speaker 1: We shouted out the twister just a second ago. I 616 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 1: guess we'll do it one more time, may as well? Yeah, okay, 617 00:36:19,200 --> 00:36:19,600 Speaker 1: shout out. 618 00:36:19,880 --> 00:36:21,520 Speaker 2: We don't summon him Strickland. 619 00:36:21,640 --> 00:36:23,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, we can't say it three times. 620 00:36:23,200 --> 00:36:23,480 Speaker 2: That's it. 621 00:36:23,560 --> 00:36:25,640 Speaker 1: End the shows, the show, at the show. 622 00:36:25,920 --> 00:36:35,680 Speaker 2: We'll see you next type books. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, 623 00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:39,000 Speaker 2: visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen 624 00:36:39,080 --> 00:36:40,120 Speaker 2: to your favorite shows.