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(1686-1736) 
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Gabriel Fahrenheit was a German physicist born in Danzig, Poland. He lived in Holland for most of his life and was involved in the manufacture of meteorological instruments. In 1714 he created the first thermometer to use mercury instead of alcohol. He devised the Fahrenheit scale of temperature recording, which is used today throughout the United States. The freezing point of water on this scale is 32 degrees and the boiling point of water is 212 degrees. He also invented a hygrometer to measure relative humidity and experimented with other liquids discovering that each liquid had a different boiling point that would change with atmospheric pressure. |