René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur

René Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur (1683–1757) was a French naturalist and scientist whose work ranged from insects and metallurgy to glassmaking. He also devised the temperature scale named after him.

French Academy of Sciences: A French scientific institution founded in 1666 to support and organize research. Réaumur became a member in 1708 and contributed reports and research to the Academy.
Réaumur scale: A temperature scale that assigns 0 degrees to water’s freezing point and 80 degrees to its boiling point. Réaumur introduced this scale in 1730 as a practical instrument for measuring temperature.
Entomology: The scientific study of insects. Réaumur’s best-known natural-history work belongs to this field.
Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire des insectes: Réaumur’s multivolume work recording observations of insect anatomy, behavior, and life cycles. This is his major published record of sustained insect research.
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon: A French naturalist whose multivolume Histoire naturelle surveyed the diversity of nature. Buffon succeeded Réaumur as keeper of the royal cabinet of curiosities.
Réaumur thermometer: A thermometer calibrated in degrees on the Réaumur temperature scale. Réaumur designed alcohol thermometers that helped establish his scale.
Metallurgy: The science and technology of extracting, refining, and working metals. His experiments on iron and steel addressed central problems in this field.
Steel: An iron-based alloy whose carbon content and processing give it greater hardness than wrought iron. Réaumur examined steelmaking and published work on distinguishing and producing different kinds of steel.
Antonie van Leeuwenhoek: A Dutch microscopist who made pioneering observations of microorganisms and other small life. Like Leeuwenhoek, Réaumur used close observation to investigate small animals.
Glassmaking: The craft and industry of forming glass by heating and shaping silica-based materials. Réaumur investigated methods for making opaque, porcelain-like glass.

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