How did it all begin? It was the Greeks who developed the "foot" as their fundamental unit of length. Legend has it that this Greek unit was based on an actual measurement of Hercules' foot. People measured a yard of cloth by the distance between the end of the outstretched arm and their chin. The Romans measured their pace steps, of about 2.5 feet, 1000 double paces formed a mile.  It was evident that everyone's body was different sizes. This caused confusion in measurement.   The French created a standard unit of measurement called the metric system in 1790. This is today's international system of unit for measurement. The Metric Program seeks to accelerate the Nation's transition to the metric system, the preferred system of weights and measures for United States trade and commerce. Implementing the 1988 amendments to the Metric Conversion Act of 1975, the Metric Program helps foster the metric transition activities of all Federal agencies.