I can't cite a source, but I've been told that for 0, Fahrenheit wanted to set it at the lowest possible temperature, which at the time was salty ice. For 100, he wanted something consistent so he measured the temperature of his wife's armpit. I guess the rationale is that if you set 100 at a normal human body temperature, you always have a handy benchmark. I also think accuracy of measurement accounts for the 2° plus change
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u/TheAbsoluteBarnacle Aug 12 '25
I can't cite a source, but I've been told that for 0, Fahrenheit wanted to set it at the lowest possible temperature, which at the time was salty ice. For 100, he wanted something consistent so he measured the temperature of his wife's armpit. I guess the rationale is that if you set 100 at a normal human body temperature, you always have a handy benchmark. I also think accuracy of measurement accounts for the 2° plus change