150 years of the metric system

150 years of the metric system

150 years ago, 17 countries signed a treaty that affects how we live today. The next time you pick up a bag of spuds from the supermarket or fill up the car with petrol, you can thank a treaty signed in 1875 for the metric system that underpins daily life.On May 20, 1875, delegates from 17 countries assembled on a Parisian spring day and signed the Metre Convention, also known as the Treaty of the Metre. At the time, it wasn't uncommon for count…