We never think about measuring standards and their importance in our everyday lives. It's quite a bid deal, and it wasn't until the late 19th and early 20th century that industrial measurements were standardized. Specifically is was C. E. Johansson of Sweden who developed the industrial standard gauge blocks that made the latter half of the industrial revolution so successful. They were so important in the development of our nation's industrial infrastructure that Henry Ford purchased the entire company and hired C. E. Johansson as Ford's head of metrology. For decades, the Henry Ford company and C. E. Johansson produced the most accurate industrial standard gauge sets in use by American industry. Without a standard set of measurements, the US industrial engine would not have been able to meet the requirements of WWI and WWII production.
The attached article gives a great history of the man (Carl Edvard Johansson), his ideas and company, and his importance to modern manufacturing.