This Day in History: 1686-05-24

Daniel Fahrenheit, inventor of the mercury thermometer and the Fahrenheit temperature scale was born on this day in 1686 in Gdansk, Poland. He settled in the Netherlands and worked as an instrument glassblower, making barometers, altimeters, and thermometers. His Fahrenheit scale was developed around 1724 and was originally based on the freezing point of salt water, but was refined for ease of taking measurements. It has long since been replaced by the Celsius scale in all major countries except the United States.