From the Noggin to the Butt: Quirky Measurement Units Throughout Human History

Today's official units have evolved from quantities that people mostly defined with their bodies and everyday items.

View as a Web Page Taking Measure Blog From the Noggin to the Butt: Quirky Measurement Units Throughout Human History When we talk about measurement units here at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), you'll typically hear us rattling off the official ones — such as the meter, the second and the kilogram. These official measurements, which are part of the International System of Units (SI), have evolved from quantities that people mostly defined with their bodies and everyday items to more universal measures that even an extraterrestrial could readily understand — and may even be using (assuming they exist and have an institution like NIST). But as much as we love the SI, today we've decided to share with you some of the many quirky (and decidedly nonstandard) measurement units that humans have invented throughout the ages. Read More IN CASE YOU MISSED IT Busting Myths About the Metric System Oct. 6, 2020 By Elizabeth Benham, metric coordinator at NIST This year will be the 45th anniversary of the Metric Conversion Act, which was signed on December 23, 1975, by President Gerald R. Ford. Normally, we celebrate by sharing metric education resources, but this year I want to use the occasion to dispel some common misconceptions about the U.S. relationship with the metric system. Read More

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