In 1742 Anders Celsius invented the Celsius scale or centigrade thermometer. Originally he set the 0 mark as the boiling point of water and the 100 degree mark as the temperature of ice water. This reverse scale was not as awkward as it sounds. The descending scale from a high temperature avoided the occurrence of negative temperatures. After Anders' death of tuberculosis in April of 1744, the scale was reversed by Jean Pierre Christin to create the scale still in use today.
Predominately an astronomer by trade, Celsius was the first to realize that the aurora borealis was the result of magnetic disturbances near the north pole.