Born: 27 November 1701 · Died: 25 April 1744 · Age at death: 42
How old was Anders Celsius when he died?
Anders Celsius died aged 42. He was born on 27 November 1701 and died on 25 April 1744.
Swedish astronomer who developed the Celsius temperature scale
Did you know?His original scale was upside down compared to today, with zero as the boiling point and one hundred as the freezing point.
Quick facts
Date of birth27 November 1701
Date of death25 April 1744
Age at death42
Cause of deathTuberculosis
NationalitySwedish
BirthplaceUppsala, Sweden
Occupationastronomer, physicist, mathematician
Editor's Take:
Anders Celsius is remembered for a thermometer scale, but he was mainly an astronomer. He helped show that the Earth bulges at the equator. That supported Newton's theory over the French view. He also linked the northern lights to changes in Earth's magnetism. His temperature scale used fixed points for freezing and boiling water at normal pressure. After his early death at 42, others reversed the numbers. The scale became the one most of the world uses today.
Key Milestones
1730: Becomes professor of astronomy at Uppsala
1736: Joins the expedition to Lapland
1741: Founds the Uppsala observatory
1742: Proposes his temperature scale
Anders Celsius (Swedish:; 27 November 1701 – 25 April 1744) was a Swedish astronomer, physicist and mathematician. He was professor of astronomy at Uppsala University from 1730 to 1744, but traveled from 1732 to 1735 visiting notable observatories in Germany, Italy and France.
