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Pirates of the Caribbean Hijacked America's Metric System
In 1793, French scientist Joseph Dombey boarded a ship bound for the United States carrying with him a standard kilogram weight. Thanks to pirates, he and the weight never arrived.
French scientist Joseph Dombey (shown in a bust at left) was dispatched to the U.S. in the mid-1790s to share the early metric system, at the request of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. French scientist Joseph Dombey (shown in a bust at left) was dispatched to the U.S. in the mid-1790s to share the early metric system, at the request of Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson. He wrote to his pals in France, and the French sent a scientist named Joseph Dombey off to Jefferson carrying a small copper cylinder with a little handle on top.
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