Fahrenheit originally used 96 for body temperature as his high temperature reference because it is a multiple of 12. Although we are used to think in terms of factors 10 (the decimal system), at an earlier time factors of 12 were deemed important. As in a dozen donuts or eggs. Aside from itself and 1, 10 is only divisible by 2 and 5. Twelve is divisible by 2, 3, 4 and 6, and 96 by these and 8, 12, 24, 32 and 48. (180 is also a multiple of 12 which is why he chose the size of the fahrenheit divisions so that there where 180 divisions between freezing and boiling. Newton originally suggested a temperature scale based on the freezing and boiling of water with 12 divisions between them.) Besides the examples cited above, the most pervasive current use of multiples of 12 is in the Circle, Compass, Latitude and Longitude. On a compass N S E and W (4 points ) evenly divide 360, as does N NE E SE S SW W NW and N NNE NE ENE E... and so on. You get the idea. On your calculator you have the angle measures of degrees, radians (the only absolute measure of angle) and grads. The grad is based on there being 100 grads in a right angle. On the equator 1 centigrad (1/100 of a grad) is 1 km, whereas 1 minute (1/60 of a degree) of arc corresponds to 1 nautical mile.