To answer the original question, the fasteners weren't standardized because bikes evolved independently on a country-to-country basis. That's why there are several different, incompatible 26" x 1 3/8" tire "standards," for just one example. When I was 13, I ruined the rear hub on my first real racing bike by screwing a British-threaded sprocket onto the hub's French threads. How was I supposed to know?