Newton (unit)
In 1946, Conférence Générale des Poids et Mesures (CGPM) set the unit of force in the MKS system of units to be the amount needed to accelerate 1 kilogram of mass at the rate of 1 metre per second each second.  In 1948, the CGPM adopted the name "newton" for this force.  The MKS system then became the blueprint for today's SI International System of Units.  That made the newton the standard unit of force.