1A10.33 Historical Note on Development of Meter

1A10.33 Historical Note on Development of Meter

Very interesting history of the development of the meter.

American Journal of Physics 57, 988 (1989); http://dx.doi.org/10.1119/1.15781

Abstract:

The reform of weights and measures during the French Revolution corrected one of the heaviest abuses of the Ancien Régime. The form of the reform—the metric system—derived in part from the rhetoric of Enlightenment philosophers and in part from the agenda of Parisian academicians. The system did not appeal to the people for whom it was supposedly designed. This article outlines this story and draws a brief lesson for our times.