Host Dave Schlom is joined by Geoff Williams, author of the new book, The Summer of Death: The Great Heat Wave of 1936 and the Making of Modern America. During the height of the Great Depression, nearly the entire continent of North America was trapped under a massive heat dome that began in May and didn't abate until September.
Over 12,000 people died, and many more deaths can be indirectly attributed to the heat due to lack of sleep leading to poor judgment, drownings, and a myriad of strange accidents that Williams thoroughly describes in his story. It was also a time when air conditioning, which had been invented by Willis Carrier in 1902, was not available to the average American.
Even most hospitals didn't have it! Williams weaves a remarkable story of tragedy, resiliency and some just plain crazy behavior during a time when the thermometer was stuck near 100 degrees for months. It's a cautionary tale for our warming world and a fascinating blast from the past.
