The US has not adopted the metric system, despite attempts since 1793. Thomas Jefferson sought trade uniformity with France’s ten-base system, but a scientist sent to explain it was taken prisoner by pirates and died in captivity. Myanmar and Liberia are the only other countries not to have officially adopted the metric system.
The United States is one of the few countries that has not officially adopted the metric system, formally known as the International System of Units. There have been attempts over the years to bring America into the global norm, starting in 1793 when the fledgling nation sought trade uniformity among the original 13 states. Thomas Jefferson, who was Secretary of State at the time, thought a new French system would solve their problems. France agreed to share and sent scientist Joseph Dombey across the Atlantic to explain the new ten-base system of weights and measures. Unfortunately, storms drove Dombey’s ship south to the Caribbean where pirates took the scientist prisoner.
Uniformity lost at sea:
Dombey set sail from Paris with two standards for the new metric system: a rod exactly one meter long and a copper cylinder called a “tomb” that weighed one kilogram.
The pirates took Dombey prisoner on the island of Montserrat, hoping to get a ransom for his release. No money was paid and the French botanist and aristocrat died in captivity there.
According to the CIA World Factbook, the other countries that have not officially adopted the metric system are Myanmar (Burma) and Liberia.
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