1896 Eastern North America heat wave

History

In New York City, August 4 through August 13 saw daily high temperatures of at least 90 °F with high humidity and little breeze. The temperature in the city did not drop below 72 °F at night, with three consecutive nights at 80 °F or above. It killed more than the New York City draft riots and the Great Chicago Fire combined. A majority of the deaths were of working-class men in their twenties who performed manual labor.

The New York City Public Works Commissioner ordered that his workers' shifts be modified so they would not be working during midday, and he had fire hydrants opened to cool people on the street. Theodore Roosevelt, then New York City Police Commissioner, distributed free ice from local police stations. After accidental deaths from people falling off the roofs they were sleeping on, the New York City Parks Department allowed people to sleep in parks overnight.

At Madison Square Garden on the evening of August 12, William Jennings Bryan formally accepted the Democratic Party nomination for president, which he had secured at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago a month prior. The high temperature and high humidity inside the Garden led to thousands of attendees walking out while he was speaking. The walk-outs, along with Bryan's decision to read a lengthy and complex speech, resulted in critical coverage by New York City newspapers. Bryan went on to lose the 1896 United States presidential election to William McKinley.

Elsewhere, The Boston Globe reported that at least 60 deaths from the heat occurred in Boston. On August 11, the number of heat-related deaths in St. Louis was reported as totalling 130, with the worst day having been August 8, when 22 people died. In Philadelphia, 173 deaths attributed to heat were reported for the week ending August 14.

References

References

1. (August 11, 2010). "The Heat Wave Of 1896 And The Rise Of Roosevelt". [[NPR]].
2. Kohn, Edward P.. (2010). "Hot Time in the Old Town: The Great Heat Wave of 1896". [[Basic Books]].
3. (August 12, 1896). "Prostration and Death". [[The Boston Globe]].
4. Armstrong, Henry E.. (August 9, 1936). "Visitation of August, 1896, Caused 564 Deaths in the New York City Zone". [[The New York Times]].
5. (August 15, 1896). "Plague Ended: Heat Prostrations Stop With East Wind". [[The Boston Globe]].
6. (August 11, 1896). "Seven Die of Heat in St. Louis: One Hundred and Thirty Have Perished in Fifteen Days". [[Chicago Tribune]].
7. (August 16, 1896). "Grim Death Mowed Without Mercy". [[The Philadelphia Inquirer]].