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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;KevinM, post: 145909, member: 1899&quot;]Here&#039;s an interesting read from Wikipedia</p><p><br /></p><p>Ref&nbsp; <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system" rel="nofollow">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metric_system</a></p><p><br /></p><p>&quot;In pre-revolutionary Europe, each state had its own system of units of measure. Some countries, such as Spain and Russia, saw the advantages of harmonising their units of measure with those of their trading partners. However, vested interests who profited from variations in units of measure opposed this. This was particularly prevalent in France where the huge inconsistency in the size of units of measure was one of the causes that, in 1789, led to the outbreak of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Revolution" rel="nofollow">French Revolution</a>.&quot;</p><p><br /></p><p><font size="4"><b>Original metric system</b></font></p><p>The French law of 18 Germinal, Year III (7 April 1795) defined five units of measure:</p><p><br /></p><ul> <li>The <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metre" rel="nofollow">mètre</a></i> for length</li> <li>The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hectare#Are" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hectare#Are" rel="nofollow"><i>are</i></a> (100 m2) for area [of land]</li> <li>The <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stere" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stere" rel="nofollow">stère</a></i> (1 m3) for volume of stacked firewood</li> <li>The <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litre" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litre" rel="nofollow">litre</a></i> (1 dm3) for volumes of liquid</li> <li>The <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gram" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gram" rel="nofollow">gramme</a></i> for mass.</li> </ul><p>[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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