The time there was no place hotter than Boston
During a heat wave in 1911, 200,000 people flocked to Revere Beach, and 50 others were reportedly driven to insanity.
Yes, Boston, it’s hot. We’re in the middle of a nearly two-week long stretch of 90-degree days – something many of us swore we wouldn’t complain about when we were buried in 110 inches of snow just a few months ago. While we’re all sweating on crowded trains and double-cupping our Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffees, it’s hard to think that Boston has been much, much hotter in the past.
The Boston Globe
The record setting temperature for the city came in July of 1911 and has held its place in the books for more than a century. Mercury in thermometers rose to the 107-degree mark, according to The Boston Globe, and more than 300 people across New England died from heatstroke in the 10 days the heat wave lasted. On days when temperatures passed 106, “there was no place in the country hotter than Boston,’’ The Globe reported, and even Cape Cod was described as “almost unbearable.’’
A chart shows the number of deaths and cases of heatstroke caused by the heat wave.The Boston Globe
The heat wave marked only the third time on record that temperatures in Boston passed 100 degrees, and the first time that such high temperatures lasted for more than an isolated day. Temperatures at night failed to fall below 70 throughout the heat wave.
An estimated crowd of 200,000 flocked to Revere Beach to cool down one day, with a very precise count of 8,274 swimmers entering the water, The Globe reported, with special attention to note that 3,271 of those were women. Those who couldn’t make it into the water tried to cool down in other ways, like crawling into bird baths or napping under the shade of a newspaper.
Two children cooled down in a bird bath during the 1911 heat wave.The Boston Globe
While outside temperatures were oppressive enough, being shut in doors was even more deadly, with some factories closing after temperatures spiked to 118 degrees. The heat also drove 50 people in the region to insanity, The Globe reported, landing 20 in the care of an asylum. All were expected to recover once the temperatures dropped.
You might be wearing a sweater in the office in July, but thanks to the modern wonder of AC, most of us can say that we still have our sanity in tact—especially after surviving a record-breaking winter.
Gallery: The 1911 Boston heat wave, as told by The Boston Globe
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