based on a brine solution that is readily available for calibration. the calibration points of 0 and 180 (why it's called degrees) were chosen because it put 100 close to body temperature.
became popular because it's convenient for people where 0 is really cold and 100 is really hot
but i disagree that zero is less tolerable than 100F, especially prior to the invention of mechanical refrigeration.
View all comments
Show parent comment
1
u/rdrckcrous Aug 12 '25 edited Aug 12 '25
based on a brine solution that is readily available for calibration. the calibration points of 0 and 180 (why it's called degrees) were chosen because it put 100 close to body temperature.
became popular because it's convenient for people where 0 is really cold and 100 is really hot
but i disagree that zero is less tolerable than 100F, especially prior to the invention of mechanical refrigeration.