A heat wave is now scorching California and Texas -- giving global warming advocates yet more ammunition to support their contention of impending climatic catastrophe.
Yet 72 years ago today -- on July 13, 1936 -- America also was swooning under a heat wave. But this time it was not in California or Texas; it was in the Midwest, as NewspaperArchive.com notes in its regular "Today in History" feature:
A record-shattering heat wave hit the Midwestern region of the United States today, destroying millions of dollars in crops and causing more than 1,000 heat-related deaths. Although many areas reported peak temperatures this week, the heat remained throughout the summer, killing an estimated 5,000 people.
"The temperature in Chicago passed 90 again. St. Paul sweltered at 109, Cedar Rapids, Ia., at 112, Lafayette, Ind., at 110, Kewanee, Ill., at 112. There were all-time record temperatures of 108 degrees in Davenport, Ia., 106 in Grand Rapids, Mich., 102 in Duluth, Minn.," reported the Edwardsville Intelligencer on July 13, 1936.
NOTE: Henry A. Wallace, secretary of agriculture, assured the public that there was no likelihood of a national food shortage. "There is no excuse for substantial increases in food prices now," Wallace said. "The persons who are using the drought as an excuse to increase their profits are taking advantage of human suffering."
Among headlines appearing in newspaper across the country, as Newspaperarchive points out:
--"Relief from Heat Delayed for Another Day"
--"Midwestern Rains Expected to Break Heat Wave During Night"
--"Predicted Drought Relief Fails"
--"Hope for Heat Relief in State Vanishes
--"Showers Halt Intense Heat in Some Areas"
It just goes to show you, some things never change.
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