Trivia: What substance inside a thermometer helps to gauge temperature?
Mercury
Radium
Peroxide
Water
Correct Answer: Mercury
So why is this answer correct? : The first thermometers were largely inaccurate, attempting to measure temperature using substances such as water (Galileo Galilei’s thermometer, 1593) and alcohol (Grand Duke Ferdinand II’s thermometer, 1654). It wasn’t until the invention of the mercury thermometer in 1714 that thermometers became more accurate. Daniel Gabriel Fahrenheit, a German physicist, developed the idea of using mercury inside the thermometer to more accurately respond to temperature fluctuations. While useful, the toxic element has since been replaced in modern electronic thermometers.