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This 1793 grave is an early version of the kilogram. It is possible this object, now owned by the National Institute of Standards and Technology museum, was once pirate treasure. NIST Museum hide caption

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NIST Museum

The Two-Way

How Pirates Of The Caribbean Hijacked America's Metric System

In 1793, French scientist Joseph Dombey boarded a ship bound for the United States carrying with him a standard kilogram weight. Thanks to pirates, he and the weight never arrived.

This 1793 grave is an early version of the kilogram. It is possible this object, now owned by the National Institute of Standards and Technology museum, was once pirate treasure. NIST Museum hide caption

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NIST Museum

How Pirates Of The Caribbean Hijacked America's Metric System

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A man from Congo is frisked by Royal Canadian Mounted Police officers after illegally entering Canada, near the border with Champlain, N.Y. Lorne Matalon hide caption

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Lorne Matalon

Fearing Deportation From U.S., Migrants Walk To Canada

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Call Me By Your Name, Get Out, The Florida Project, The Big Sick, Coco and Girls Trip all made NPR's top list. Sony Pitcures Classics/Universal Pictures/A24/Lionsgate/Disney Pixar/Universal Studios hide caption

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Sony Pitcures Classics/Universal Pictures/A24/Lionsgate/Disney Pixar/Universal Studios

NPR's Favorite Movies Of 2017

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The historic Jackson Magnolia, planted on the south grounds of the White House, was trimmed back on Wednesday. The tree is in poor health, needs artificial support and is in danger of falling. Andrew Harnik/AP hide caption

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Andrew Harnik/AP

Portions Of Ailing White House Magnolia Removed Over Safety Concerns

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Volunteer Greg Ruegsegger is outfitted with monitors, a catheter threaded into a vein and a mask to capture his breath in an experiment run by Joyner to measure human performance. Richard Harris/NPR hide caption

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Richard Harris/NPR

Will Gathering Vast Troves of Information Really Lead To Better Health?

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