The Uniquely American Use of the Imperial Measurement System Versus the Metric System

Vox editor Dion Lee, who was born in Seoul and raised in Vancouver, vented her frustrations with the uniquely American use of the antiquated imperial system (i.e. inches, feet, miles, Farenheit) versus the simpler metric system (i.e. centimeters, meters, kilometers, Celsius) that’s used throughout the rest of the world. Lee also explained the history of the metric system in the U.S., the costly mistakes made in translating measurements and the benefits of attempting metrication once again.

Since I’ve moved to the US in 2010, there’s one thing that I still don’t fully understand: the imperial system. Virtually every country on earth uses Celsius but America has yet to follow. Although it might not seem like a big deal, not using the metric system puts America at a great disadvantage.