1. Introduction
The National Bureau of Standards (NBS) was established by the U.S. Congress in 1901 to develop a consistent measurement infrastructure for the United States. NBS was designed to be not a regulatory agency, but rather one that worked with science and industry to establish measurement standards that could be used to support commerce and trade, scientific research, and the general welfare. The base units of measurement were the natural purview of this new organization. The agency would undertake scientific studies to advance the state of measurement and would coordinate its standards with those of other countries. While the basic role of NBS remained relatively fixed through the years, Congress periodically added tasks that reflected changing times. Then, in 1988, Congress added substantial new components, including the Manufacturing Extension Program and the Advanced Technology Program, and in recognition of these expanded roles renamed NBS to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Since this is an historical paper, and the history covers the institution under different names, I will variously refer to it as NBS, or NIST, or simply the Bureau.