NewtonTalk.net May 2008 archive: Re: [NTLK] [OT] Exact Measureme

From: Ed Kummel <tech_ed_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Fri May 02 2008 - 16:17:00 EDT

It's funny how things go...on another list I belong to (regarding Jeeps) we are having a similar discussion of Metric and SAE...This little gem popped up on one discussion:
  http://www.core77.com/blog/images/notmetric.gif

  Interesting to see that according to this map, Australia has gone metric!
  Ed
  web/gadget guru
  http://newton.tek-ed.com (download Newton packages)
Doug Denby <ddenby@rogers.com> wrote:
  There are lots of references across the web. Some misleading. Most
simplifying.

Measures and History and Myth are tightly tied.

Google King Henry I and measurements etc.

The one thing that is clear is that the distance from the tip of his
nose to the ends of his finger tips became the re-calibrated yard of
his era. All other measures then were calculated from that.

The metric system is also based on a nature measure as well -- the
earth itself. The System Internationale (SI or commonly metric system)
was devised at a time when the ruling French were desperate to
distance themselves from the royals and nobles.

Doug

On May 1, 2008, at 6:48 PM, BobR wrote:

> Doug Denby writes:
>
>> A yard ... Coincidently this is the distance for normally
>> proportioned males from the tip of their fingers to the nose when
>> arms
>> are outstretched. Standardized to King Henry I's (1068-1135) personal
>> measurements.
>
> This interests me a lot !
> King Henry I is the only monarch in the last 1000 years to be buried
> in the
> town of Reading where I live. Most Kings lie in Westminster, Windsor
> or
> Winchester. I researched beyond the bad press commonly seen in books
> and
> King Henry turns out to be quite amazing. He set up the present
> system of
> taxation, with the Exchequer and its annual audit. He set up the
> county-courts and public-inquest system, still surviving today; he
> established England's first zoo (at Woodstock); he introduced better
> processing of sheepskin (from France); he reformed the coinage
> system to
> prevent fraud; he introduced comprehensive regulations in Latin to
> be used
> by his civil servants; he married a daughter of King Malcolm III of
> Scotland
> (he is featured in Shakespear's Macbeth, her mother was
> St.Margaret). I
> think it's possible that he also introduced double-entry book-
> keeping for
> the treasury accounts - I found an early date in the 1150's for
> that, with
> the Knights Templars. But I hadn't yet seen any mention of
> weights-and-measures, because I hadn't been looking in that area.
> It sounds quite likely - Doug, did you have a reference for the yard
> connection (or is it obvious somewhere on the www) ?
>
> BobR.
>
>
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Re: [NTLK] [OT] Exact Measurement of King Henry