After other reading, it sounds like capital L was already in common use, and likely the SI or whatever committee just decided to allow L regardless to avoid confusion. This sounds like a tall tale which can't be disproved (how do we really know the motivations of the committee etc) so now it spreads.
(The Wikipedia article wasn't clear, the invention of Claude Emile Jean-Baptiste Litre was an April fool's joke in a scientific magazine that went over people's heads.)
From what I understand, a unit shouldn't be capitalized unless it's named after someone. The problem with litre is that a lowercase l looks like a 1 which can really mess up a measurement. People started using uppercase, but some purists bucked the trend. That's when Claude Emile was made up. Because some journals thought it was true, more people got convinced to use the uppercase L for Litre.
Interesting as well that litre/liter isn't even a "proper" SI unit; it's just a nickname for a cubic decimetre/decimeter held over from France's original metric system.
I also like to imagine that the path to working for the BIPM is not always a glorious one: "Jacques, you have spent the last three years of your post-doctoral fellowship trying to settle on the units you wish to use in your abstract. We think we have found the perfect place for your skillset..."
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Based on the title I thought someone sacrificed their kid's name for the Litre
After other reading, it sounds like capital L was already in common use, and likely the SI or whatever committee just decided to allow L regardless to avoid confusion. This sounds like a tall tale which can't be disproved (how do we really know the motivations of the committee etc) so now it spreads.
(The Wikipedia article wasn't clear, the invention of Claude Emile Jean-Baptiste Litre was an April fool's joke in a scientific magazine that went over people's heads.)
From what I understand, a unit shouldn't be capitalized unless it's named after someone. The problem with litre is that a lowercase l looks like a 1 which can really mess up a measurement. People started using uppercase, but some purists bucked the trend. That's when Claude Emile was made up. Because some journals thought it was true, more people got convinced to use the uppercase L for Litre.
Interesting as well that litre/liter isn't even a "proper" SI unit; it's just a nickname for a cubic decimetre/decimeter held over from France's original metric system.
I also like to imagine that the path to working for the BIPM is not always a glorious one: "Jacques, you have spent the last three years of your post-doctoral fellowship trying to settle on the units you wish to use in your abstract. We think we have found the perfect place for your skillset..."
Juan Townsend Litre would be better IMO.
Don’t forget his twin sister Koubique Maitre (née Litre)
She was a hefty one, oh boy.