Obsolete Russian units of measurement Peter the Great replace it with the Hindu-Arabic numeral system. The basic unit is the Russian cubit, called the "arshin", which has been in use since the 16th century. It was standardized by Peter the Great in the 18th century to measure exactly twenty-eight English inches (). Thus, 80 vershoks = 20 piads = 5 arshins = 140 English inches (). A "piad" (, “palm”, “five”) or "chetvert" (, “quarter”) is a hand span, the distance between ends of the spread thumb and index finger. Alternative units: As in many ancient systems of measurement the Russian distinguishes between dry and
The finger him giving the middle finger to a photographer during a 1969 concert at San Quentin State Prison, released as "At San Quentin". However, the photo remained fairly obscure until 1998, when producer Rick Rubin made it the centerpiece of an ad in "Billboard" criticizing country radio for not giving airplay to Cash's Grammy-winning album "Unchained". Cameron Diaz made the gesture during a photo shoot for "Esquire". Harold Lloyd shot the finger to his own reflection in a Coney Island funhouse after getting paint on his suit in "Speedy", his final silent feature, from 1928. Athletes, including Stefan Effenberg, Ron Artest,