In 1901, Congress founded the National Bureau of Standards, since 1988 known as the National Institute of Standards and Technology. It is a non-regulatory agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce. It was created on the requests of from science and industry "to establish an authoritative domestic measurement and standards laboratory." (http://www.nist.gov/timeline.cfm). The current mission statement reads, "NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life."

In 1928, NIST’s Fire Resistance Division burned down two condemned brick buildings in Washington D.C., This action was likely the first full-scale fire test ever conducted. Researchers compared the conditions experienced in this fire with theoretical time-temperature curves that were used at the time. This data was eventually used to create uniform fire resistance standards for buildings.