We need to measure the things around us in order to build and make things. Before we had standard measures, people used natural measures including body parts and objects. One of the first measures was a cubitthe length of a mans arm from his elbow to the tip of his middle finger. Another was the mile, which was equal to 1,000 steps. Some of the things we can measure are volume, weight, and time. To make measurements equal and more accurate, it was decided that a foot would always be 12 inches.