Can the Only U.S. Highway Measured in Kilometers Survive 'America First'?

> “They’re not using gallons and miles in North Korea. They’re using the metric system—so are Iran and China. I can’t imagine why we’d want any of that in our country,”

The funny thing is that U.S. customary units have been defined in terms of metric units since 1893[1]. Americans really are using metric, just with extra steps.

[1]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mendenhall_Order

Gift link: https://www.wsj.com/politics/policy/america-first-trump-metr...

> The U.S. appeared ready to join the rest of the world when President Gerald Ford in 1975 signed legislation designating it the country’s preferred measuring system.

> The U.S. Metric Board—which was put in place to help Americans make the switch—used I-19, which was being built at the time, as a test case for the measuring system on signs.

> However, when President Ronald Reagan took office he disbanded the metric board and the U.S. never switched over. The signs remain.

Of course.

> One Tubac resident who requested to remain anonymous to avoid tickets, said the kilometer signs make it so she can speed freely. (Nevermind that the speed limit signs are still in miles-per-hour.)

> “I just speed no matter what,” she said. “My theory is: I don’t know the metric system.”