Editing International standard (section)

===International organizations===
[[File:Colonel R. E. B. Crompton.webp|thumb|right|[[R. E. B. Crompton]] founded one of the first international standards bodies, the [[International Electrotechnical Commission]], in 1906.]]
One of the most well established international standardization organizations is the [[International Telecommunication Union]] (ITU), a [[List of specialized agencies of the United Nations|specialized agency]] of the [[United Nations]] which was founded on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Union. The ITU was initially focused on the [[standardization]] of telegraph signals, and later evolved to include [[telephony]], radio and satellite communications, and other [[information and communication technology]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.itu.int/en/history/Pages/DiscoverITUsHistory.aspx|title = Discover ITU's History}}</ref>

By <time>the mid to late 19th century</time>, efforts were being made to standardize electrical measurement. An important figure was [[R. E. B. Crompton]], who became concerned by the large range of different standards and systems used by electrical engineering companies and scientists in <time>the early 20th century</time>. Many companies had entered the market in <time>the 1890s</time> and all chose their own settings for [[volt]]age, [[frequency]], [[Electric current|current]] and even the symbols used on circuit diagrams. Adjacent buildings would have totally incompatible electrical systems simply because they had been fitted out by different companies. Crompton could see the lack of efficiency in this system and began to consider proposals for an international standard for electric engineering.<ref>[http://www.iec.ch/about/history/articles/colonel_crompton.htm ''Colonel Crompton'', IEC Website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100903145102/http://www.iec.ch/about/history/articles/colonel_crompton.htm |date=2010-09-03}}</ref>

In <time>1904</time>, Crompton represented Britain at the [[Louisiana Purchase Exposition]] in [[St. Louis]] as part of a delegation by the [[Institute of Electrical Engineers]]. He presented a paper on standardisation, which was so well received that he was asked to look into the formation of a commission to oversee the process.<ref>Johnson, J & Randell, W (1948) ''Colonel Crompton and the Evolution of the Electrical Industry'', Longman Green.</ref> By <time>1906</time>, his work was complete and he drew up a permanent constitution for the first international standards organization, the [[International Electrotechnical Commission]] (IEC).<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TAi_QBsTz5UC|title=Encyclopedia of Electrochemical Power Sources|author1=Chris K. Dyer |author2=Patrick T. Moseley |author3=Zempachi Ogumi |author4=David A. J. Rand |author5=Bruno Scrosati Newnes |year=2010|page=540|publisher=Newnes |isbn=9780444527455}}</ref> The body held its first meeting that year in [[London]], with representatives from 14 countries. In honour of his contribution to electrical standardisation, [[Lord Kelvin]] was elected as the body's first President.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.iec.ch/about/history/documents/pdf/IEC_Founding_Meeting_Report_1906.pdf |title=1906 Preliminary Meeting Report |pages=46–48 |work=The minutes from our first meeting |author=IEC |access-date=21 October 2012 |archive-date=2 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502223234/https://www.iec.ch/about/history/documents/pdf/IEC_Founding_Meeting_Report_1906.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>

[[File:Memory plaque of founding ISA in Prague cropped.jpg|thumb|left|Memorial plaque of founding ISA in [[Prague]].]]
The [[International Federation of the National Standardizing Associations]] (ISA) was founded in <time>1926</time> with a broader remit to enhance international cooperation for all technical standards and specifications. The body was suspended in <time>1942</time> during [[World War II|World {{Nowrap|War II}}]].{{cn|date=March 2024}}

After the war, ISA was approached by the recently formed United Nations Standards Coordinating Committee (UNSCC) with a proposal to form a new global standards body. In <time>October 1946</time>, ISA and UNSCC delegates from 25 countries met in [[London]] and agreed to join forces to create the [[International Organization for Standardization]] (ISO); the organization officially began operations in <time style="white-space:nowrap">February 1947</time>.<ref>{{cite book |url=http://www.iso.org/iso/2012_friendship_among_equals.pdf |title=Friendship among equals: Recollections from ISO's first fifty years |publisher=International Organization for Standardization |year=1997 |isbn=92-67-10260-5 |pages=15–18 |access-date=26 December 2013}}</ref>