Anders Celsius

Temperature Scales (Anders Celsius)

As early as the second century A.D., the Greek physician Galen suggested using ice and boiling water as the basis of a temperature scale. It was not until 1742, however, that a scale based on that principle was developed. In that year, the Swedish astronomer Anders Celsius introduced the temperature scale now in use in almost every country in the world. Celsius defined the temperature of ice and boiling water as 0^oC and 100^oC, respectively. His scale was known as the centigrade scale because a degree on this scale is 1/100 of the difference between the temperatures of ice and boiling water. In 1948, the name was officially changed to the Celsius scale.