Now then, you might not be thinking what I’m thinking right now, but if you are, then your probably wondering why the whole world measures temperature in Celsius and why America is the only country to still use Fahrenheit.
The answer is simple, but there’s a story to it.
Back in the hay-day of temperature measuring, a young man named Mr. Fahrenheit set out to create a scale for measuring temperature. He sat down in his kitchen and opened the freezer door. He placed his thermometer on the middle shelf, and closed the door. Ten minutes later he threw the door open and grabbed the thermometer. He quickly scribbled down a line and the number 0 on his thermometer reading. His next move was towards the bathroom. He stripped off his t-shirt and stuck the thermometer under his armpit. Another ten minutes and Fahrenheit had marked the 100 degree spot on his thermometer. Success! Fahrenheit’s scale of temperature was embraced by the world.
Fast forward to present day and we now have a Fahrenheit replacement scale in place. Thank goodness. And let me just highlight for you some of the idiocy of the Fahrenheit scale.
In the Fahrenheit scale, water freezes at 32 degrees; in the Celsius scale, water freezes at zero.
In the Fahrenheit scale, water boils at 212 degrees; in the Celsius scale, water boils at 100.
Zero in the Fahrenheit scale is a random cold-ish temperature that is unrecognisable and serves no purpose whatsoever.
100 in the Fahrenheit scale is the temperature of Mr. Fahrenheit’s armpit.
So in conclusion, all Americans are currently measuring the temperature of an entire country using a temperature system that is based entirely on one man’s sweaty armpit.