1896 Eastern North America heat wave

United States weather disaster May 2025 February 2025 New York World headline 15-Aug-1896.jpg Front-page headline in the New York World on August 15 1896 8 4 - 1896 8 13 Heat wave 1,500 (approximate) Eastern North America The 1896 Eastern North America heat wave was a ten-day heat wave across much of Eastern North America including New York City, Boston, Newark and Chicago that killed about 1,500 people in August 1896.The Heat Wave Of 1896 And The Rise Of Roosevelt https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129127924&ft=1&f=1022 NPR August 11, 2010 2010-08-25 Edward P. Kohn Hot Time in the Old Town: The Great Heat Wave of 1896 2010 Basic Books https://archive.org/details/hottimeinoldtown0000kohn registration 978-0-465-01336-4 https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-prostration-and-death/181880571/ Prostration and Death The Boston Globe 1 August 12, 1896 September 27, 2025 newspapers.com History In New York City, August 4 through August 13 saw daily high temperatures of at least 90 °F °C with high humidity and little breeze.Visitation of August, 1896, Caused 564 Deaths in the New York City Zone https://www.nytimes.com/1936/08/09/archives/when-heat-waves-cost-many-lives-visitation-of-august-1896-caused.html The New York Times August 9, 1936 2010-08-30 Henry E. Armstrong The temperature in the city did not drop below 72 °F °C at night, with three consecutive nights at 80 °F °C 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.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-boston-globe-plague-ended-heat-pros/181879714/ Plague Ended: Heat Prostrations Stop With East Wind The Boston Globe 10 August 15, 1896 September 27, 2025 newspapers.com 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.https://www.newspapers.com/article/chicago-tribune-seven-die-of-heat-in-st/182321681/ Seven Die of Heat in St. Louis: One Hundred and Thirty Have Perished in Fifteen Days Chicago Tribune 5 August 11, 1896 October 4, 2025 newspapers.com In Philadelphia, 173 deaths attributed to heat were reported for the week ending August 14.https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-philadelphia-inquirer-grim-death-mow/182361729/ Grim Death Mowed Without Mercy The Philadelphia Inquirer 4 August 16, 1896 October 4, 2025 newspapers.com thumb|center|Death certificate of a Chicago resident who died due to "The excessive heat" See also 1911 Eastern North America heat wave List of disasters in Massachusetts by death toll References Further reading https://www.daveyalba.com/heat-wave A City’s Fever Spell: Manhattan’s Forgotten Heat Wave of 1896 Davey Alba daveyalba.com September 27, 2025 https://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/local-news/2020/07/25/the-heat-is-on-were-having-a-heat-wave-maybe-but-dont-expect-a-repeat-of-aug-4-13-1896/ The heat is on – we’re having a heat wave (maybe) – but don’t expect a repeat of Aug. 4-13, 1896 Dean Shalhoup Nashua Telegraph Nashua, New Hampshire July 25, 2020 September 27, 2025 https://www.newspapers.com/article/springfield-evening-union-killing-heat-o/182362799/ Killing Heat of August, 1896, is Recalled The Springfield Union Springfield, Massachusetts 16 August 18, 1936 October 4, 2025 newspapers.com https://historicipswich.net/2025/06/23/new-enland-heat-waves/ The Deadly 1896, 1911, and 1936 New England Heat Waves Historic Ipswich September 27, 2025 autocollapse Category:Heat waves in the United States Eastern North America heat wave Eastern North America heat wave Eastern North America heat wave Category:Meteorological events in 1896 Category:1896 natural disasters Eastern North America heat wave Eastern North America heat wave