Gabriel Fahrenheit
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.031228
Today is the birthday of physicist Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, born in Gdańsk, Poland, in 1686. He invented the alcohol thermometer and mercury thermometer and developed many precise meteorological instruments. He discovered that water does not always freeze or boil at the same temperature; other factors such as atmospheric pressure play a role. And of course, Fahrenheit developed the temperature scale that bears his name. He originally chose 30° for the freezing point of water; it was later revised to 32°. Although the vast majority of the world uses the Celsius scale, a few holdouts, including the United States, go with Fahrenheit.
Date in History: 24 May 1686
