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1995: The Curious Case of Kilo 18 | Tomorrow's World | BBC Archive
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February 4, 2026
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February 4, 2026
130,069
1,512
294
1.39%
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6:57Now Playing"It all goes back to one small cylinder of platinum-iridium alloy, that was made over a hundred years ago in Paris. This is the mother of all kilos."
All over the world there are precious blocks of metal, carefully stored away, which are supposed to represent the perfect kilogram. But lately, something strange seems to be happening - the kilogramme is getting heavier.
Monty Don visits Bushy House in Teddingtom London, the home of "Kilo 18" - so named because it is the 18th copy of the international original - the standard by which all British kilograms are measured. Every 30 years, kilo 18 and the other national standards return to France to be checked against the original kilogram. The most recent comparison confirmed the International Bureau of Weights and Measures' greatest fear; the kilograms are getting heavier. Now the scientific community is on a weighty mission to determine why.
Clip taken from Tomorrow's World, originally broadcast on BBC One, 17 November, 1995.
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