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    <p>Tom:</p>
    <p>That copper bar was suspect to me also, for the simple fact that
      brass, a compound of copper will expand & contract with heat
      and cold.  One of our old sayings it "Cold enough to freeze the
      balls off a brass monkey".  A monkey was the holder sort of shaped
      like a hand for cannonball on a ship.   They were made of brass. 
      At exceptionally cold temps, the metal would contract and the
      balls would fall off the monkey..   So came the saying to describe
      the weather....    Kinda like colder than a well diggers butt in
      Utah....   One of my dad's old sayings...<br>
      Cecil<br>
    </p>
    <div class="moz-cite-prefix">On 2/24/2020 5:50 PM, Thomas Martin
      wrote:<br>
    </div>
    <blockquote type="cite"
      cite="mid:2137026893.2007944.1582588215465@webmail.xtra.co.nz">
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      <p>A bit of creative writing... Certainly chronologically
        challenged, with Dombey captured allegdly<br>
      </p>
      <p>in possession of a Standard meter, 4 years before the length
        was established. :-)<br>
      </p>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-HwtpBd ox-6dc9300653-gsrt
        ox-6dc9300653-PZPZlf">
        <div class="ox-6dc9300653-Z0LcW ox-6dc9300653-AZCkJd">FYI From
          more  credible sources:<br>
        </div>
        <div class="ox-6dc9300653-Z0LcW ox-6dc9300653-AZCkJd"><br>
        </div>
      </div>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-LGOjhe"><span
          class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
            class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd">The metric system <strong>was</strong>
            first proposed in 1791. </span></span></div>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-LGOjhe"><span
          class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
            class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd">It <strong>was adopted</strong>
            by the <strong>French</strong> revolutionary assembly in
            1795, </span></span></div>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-LGOjhe"><span
          class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
            class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd">and the first metric standards
            (</span></span> <span class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd
          ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd">a
            standard <strong>meter</strong> bar and kilogram bar) </span></span></div>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-LGOjhe"><span
          class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
            class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd"><strong>were adopted in 1799</strong>.
            <strong>The length of the meter bar was only established in
              late 1798</strong><br>
          </span></span></div>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-LGOjhe">
        <p><span class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
              class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd">The Standards weren't made of
              copper but Platinum. Copper wouldn't be stable enough</span></span></p>
        <p><span class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
              class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd">temperature wise.</span></span></p>
      </div>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-LGOjhe"><span
          class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
            class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd">There <strong>was</strong>
            considerable resistence to the system at first, and its use
          </span></span><span class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd
          ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd"><strong>was</strong>
            not made compulsory</span></span></div>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-LGOjhe"><span
          class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
            class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd">in <strong>France</strong>
            until 1837.</span></span></div>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-LGOjhe"><span
          class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
            class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd"><br>
          </span></span></div>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-LGOjhe"><span
          class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
            class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd">Tom<br>
          </span></span></div>
      <div class="ox-6dc9300653-LGOjhe"><span
          class="ox-6dc9300653-ILfuVd ox-6dc9300653-NA6bn"><span
            class="ox-6dc9300653-e24Kjd"><br>
          </span></span></div>
      <blockquote type="cite">On 25 February 2020 at 03:08 Indiana
        Robinson <a class="moz-txt-link-rfc2396E" href="mailto:robinson46176@gmail.com"><robinson46176@gmail.com></a> wrote: <br>
        <br>
        <div dir="ltr">I'm not sure how accurate this story is but it
          matches what I had read for years.
          <div><a
              href="https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/04/12/metric-system-usa/"
              moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.thevintagenews.com/2018/04/12/metric-system-usa/</a>
            <br>
          </div>
          <div><br>
          </div>
          <div>If they had listened to Jefferson we would  not be
            messing with a double system, metrics would just be what we
            use...  The 10 based system can be done in  your head (could
            have saved all those years learning those damned fractions) 
            :-)  and every tool box wouldn't have a fraction to decimal
            conversion chart tucked in somewhere that you can't ever
            find when you need it. Also we would not have to worry about
            some dead kings thumb size getting lost or a bad few years
            for the barley crop or a lot of other stuff they tried to
            set as standards long ago.</div>
          <div><br>
          </div>
          <div>This site looks fairly well done and I liked the little
            section on the metric size of a few common objects.</div>
          <div><a
href="https://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Centimeters?fbclid=IwAR1z77b9GTGRpTD7TM1cH51LA1CKzsTyPJ-n87HsRDmbJv7b5ME7QyCVpbs"
              moz-do-not-send="true">https://www.wikihow.com/Measure-Centimeters?fbclid=IwAR1z77b9GTGRpTD7TM1cH51LA1CKzsTyPJ-n87HsRDmbJv7b5ME7QyCVpbs</a>
            <br>
          </div>
          <div><br>
          </div>
          <div>If you have forgotten how to use your Abacus there is a
            section on that too.  :-)</div>
          <div><br>
          </div>
          <div><br>
          </div>
          <div>. <br clear="all">
            <div><br>
            </div>
            -- <br>
            <div dir="ltr"
              class="ox-6dc9300653-ox-eba9b05331-ox-6c30596bc2-gmail_signature">
              <div dir="ltr">
                <div>--  <br>
                  <br>
                  Francis Robinson <br>
                  aka "farmer" <br>
                  Central Indiana USA <br>
                  <a href="mailto:robinson46176@gmail.com"
                    target="_blank" rel="noopener"
                    moz-do-not-send="true">robinson46176@gmail.com</a> <br>
                  <br>
                  <br>
                  <br>
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                  <br>
                  <br>
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