Gabriel Daniel Fahrenheit

Fahrenheit, Gabriel Daniel (1686–1736), German-born Dutch physicist and instrument maker. He introduced the mercury-in-glass thermometer and discovered the variation of boiling points with atmospheric pressure, but is best remembered for his Fahrenheit temperature scale. This has 179 divisions (degrees) between the freezing point of water (32°F) and the boiling point (212°F). Although still commonly used in the United States, elsewhere the Fahrenheit scale has been superseded by the Celsius scale.