December 23, 2025, marks the 50th anniversary of the Metric Conversion Act, designed to bring US weights and measures in line with the rest of the world. The United States is one of the last holdouts ...

When I asked in a tweet: “Has anyone got any genuine reasons why imperial is better than metric?” – I had over 2,000 replies in just over 24 hours. Did it help me make up my mind? One argument for ...

Many people feel disturbed by or even hostile to the metric system. It`s strange that Americans react so emotionally to a measuring system. After all, there is nothing immoral, criminal, dangerous or ...

Canadians measure their height in feet and inches but record distances in kilometers, express the air temperature in degrees Celsius and the water in Fahrenheit. This confusing division between metric ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American I’ve met a lot of people and learned a lot ...

Atlas Obscura on Slate is a blog about the world’s hidden wonders. Like us on Facebook and Tumblr, or follow us on Twitter. For better or worse, the United States remains one of only three countries ...

If the United States were more like the rest of the world, a McDonald's Quarter Pounder might be known as the McDonald's 113-Grammer, John Henry's 9-pound hammer would be 4.08 kilograms, and any ...

We’ll blame Thomas Jefferson. Oh, not entirely; there are more than 200 years’ worth of criticism to dole out. But in wondering why the United States is not entirely on the metric system, the blame ...

Following the loss of the Mars Climate Observer, the NASA Office of Inspector General initiated a review of the Agency’s use of the metric system. By law and policy, the metric system is the preferred ...

In a presidential campaign turning largely on stagnant incomes and national security, Lincoln Chafee announced his bid for the White House on Wednesday with an unusual policy stance: He called for ...