Why do Americans have everything different? I mean, they use miles instead of kilometer, pounds instead of kg?

Question

Faehrenheit instead of Celcius
Inches instead of centimeters..
even the voltage in electricity is different

I mean, the whole world is going one way, Americans the other.. why's that? (I'm not criticizing or anything.. I'm just wondering)

Answer 1

The "rest of the world" is misleading. Americans use "Standard" measures (pounds, inches, miles, etc.) while most of Europe, Asia, Africa, etc uses "Metric" (kilos, centis, etc.). The British use a hybrid system of both "Metric" and "Standard".

Metric came along well after Standard did. We (Americans) got Standard via the British, who in turn used old Celtic forms combinded with Biblical (rods, bushels, etc) Germanic and Roman ideas. Most of Europe used these same conglomorations to varying degrees.

Metric is actually birthed, if you will, during the French Revolution. The American Founding Fathers abhored the mass murder and pillage that the French Revolution unleashed and were inherently biased against Metric for that reason. The British, in an attempt to solidify it's European alliances began to use metric, which slowly spread to the Empire. America was beyond it's influence by that time and retained the previous mesurement scheme.

Voltage is seriously different. 110V 60hz is more stable than 220v 50hz. This goes back to the infancy of electricity - AC versus DC and the cycles needed to keep it safe. That, in and of itself is a different question and answer.

Answer 2

The metric system is a decimalised system of measurement based on the metre and the gram. Louis XIV asked for a universal measurment system to trade accordingly with other countries and standarize all the exchanges with their territories and colonies.
I thnink you've answered yourself. Almost the whole world goes one way but Americans had to go the other way around, maybe to prove they were different or because they didn't trusted the stablished standards. Whatever the case, their measurement system is ridiculous, has no logical conversion to metric.
Today just 3 countries officially use that system, US, Myanmar and Liberia!! They are crazy, really!

Answer 3

The same reason of Brits driving on the left: just because they always did. It's called the Imperial measurement system and was brought to america by the english immigrants.
They also use different measurements for cooking recipes, giving me hard time when I need to convert ....
As for the 110V, they say it is safer for people then the higher 220-240 voltage.

Answer 4

It's purely cultural. Like the way the British and related countries drive on the LEFT side of the road, when everyone else drives on the RIGHT side.
Or like the way beheading all infidels for not being more tolerant of muslims is okay for the Islamic wackos.

Answer 5

because 1000 air miles is more than 1000 air kilometres

Answer 6

Too expensive to change

Answer 7

We like to be different.

Answer 8

We like to feel special.

Answer 9

No idea. I'm canadian, I use pounds not kg.
I use celcius.

Answer 10

because we are brave enough to be different!