Science & Tech
8
In October 1958, the span of this bridge was measured using the body of Oliver Reed Smoot MIT '62 and found to be 364.4 smoots +/-1 ear. The smoot became a useful metric for generations of bridge travelers and joined the angstrom, meter, and light-year as an enduring standard of length. After graduating from MIT, Ollie continued contributing to measurement by heading both the American National Standards Institute and the International Organization for Standardization.
Hear stories like this as you drive
ExploreHere reads historical markers out loud as you pass them: over 325,000 stories across the US. No account needed.
4.7 · 800+ ratings · Free
FIND IT
Cambridge, Massachusetts · United States