Tuesday 12 February 2013

12th February 2013 - Numbers of the beast

It was while lamenting the reportage of snow fall that I last had the opportunity to consider the role of imperial and decimal figures. Today, being pancake day, I had two Crepes with a  spoon full of ice cream. The Ice cream was definitely a "scoop" which does not fall into the category of any of the references that always used to be on the back of my old school exercise books. I know as I go through all the books and papers in the basement that I will in the end find one of those famous books - with perches and rods, fathoms and links. When I do I am sure that I shall comment on asimilar missive.

But imagine my consternation as I read on my google "things that happened on February 12th...". that it was on this day back in 1973 that the State of Ohio (USA) went metric, becoming the first state in the US to post metric distance signs along interstate 71. The new signs showed the distances in both miles and kilometres!!

It was only when I read on that my confidence was revived when I saw that also on this day in 1912 China Adopted the Gregorian Calendar.

That somehow gives me some level of confidence thinking that a country the size of China, with its own script, language and letters adopted a set of numbers for counting days which has a familiarity to my poor brain....

Happy pancake day.

1 comment:

  1. Decimalization in Ohio in 1973 - hmm!! That's 40 years ago - and yet Ohio drivers STILL find it OK to plod along 5 miles (not 8 kilometes) an hour below the speed limit whilst hogging the fast lane - when the two to the right are are open!


    I'll leave the thought of a Gregorian chant in Cantonese or Mandarin to you!


    As for pancakes, I suggest:

    http://swanseajackinusa.blogspot.com/2013/02/shrove-tuesday-aka-mardi-gras.html

    ReplyDelete