Send us Fan Mail Why doesn’t the USA use the metric system? Blame pirates. Seriously. In this episode, we dive into the absurd, tragicomic life of Joseph Dombey—an 18th-century French botanist who had the single worst luck in human history. Sent by France in 1794 to hand-deliver the official metric standards (a copper kilogram and meter rod) to Thomas Jefferson, Dombey’s ship was blown off course by a storm straight into Caribbean pirates. Join us as we break down: How Dombey ...
