Why the US Uses Fahrenheit While the World Uses Celsius

If you travel from New York to London, the weather forecast changes dramatically. 70 degrees is a pleasant day in the US, but it would be deadly heat in the UK. Why is the US one of the few countries holding onto Fahrenheit?

The History of Fahrenheit

Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, a German physicist, created his scale in 1724. He based 0°F on the freezing temperature of a brine solution (salt and water) and 96°F as the human body temperature. It was the first standardized temperature scale to be widely used.

Enter Celsius

Anders Celsius developed his scale in 1742. He based it purely on water: 0°C for freezing and 100°C for boiling. This made it incredibly easy for scientific calculations and it was quickly adopted by the rest of the world as part of the metric system.

Why Won't the US Switch?

The US attempted to switch in the 1970s, but it was met with public resistance. Many Americans argue that Fahrenheit is more precise for air temperature (0-100 covers the typical range of habitable weather), whereas Celsius requires decimals to be as specific.