American Metric history

He was very active in promoting the metric system and compiled the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics 20th yearbook, The Metric System of Weights and Measures, in 1948.

The US government set up a panel and several committees to explore the 12 areas covered in the books resulting from the 1968 Metric Study Bill, with the purpose of making a recommendation.

In 1975, President Ford sent USMA a ceremonial pen to commemorate the signing of this metric law.

Two members of the USMA were nominated by President Ford, in 1976, to serve on the US Metric Board.

USMA’s first newsletter was published in April 1966, featuring the fact that Britain had announced, in 1965, that it was beginning a 10-year program of converting to metric system usage. It began as a quarterly newsletter and in 1979 became a bi-monthly publication.

However, the Omnibus Trade and Competitiveness Act of 1988 finally was passed and signed by President Ronald Reagan.

Beginning in 1989, USMA’s annual metric conferences were held in Washington, DC and were jointly sponsored with the US Department of Commerce.

Also in 1990 the first version of an index to all past issues of Metric Today was compiled.

In 1993, USMA researched and published the Metric Vendor List book which contained information on about 1300 companies that sold metric-unit manufactured products, parts and components.