I was using Google Earth the other day and noticed in addition to the usual Kilometers, Miles, Feet there was the unit “Smoots”.
What is a Smoot?
According to Wikipedia the Smoot is a nonstandard unit of length created as part of an MIT fraternity prank. In 1958 Oliver R. Smoot was rolled head over heels by his fraternity brothers to measure the length of the Harvard Bridge. The smoot is equal to his height; five feet and seven inches or 1.70 m.
Oliver R. Smoot later became Chairman of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and President of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO).
It’s also about how tall I am and I can’t wait to use it on an official form…
