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Mark P Horniacek's avatar

Growing up in the 60s, without a/c, I can remember my parents and grandparents sleeping on the porch and my sister and I sleeping in a tent in the yard during those 100' heatwaves. A few old timers told me that in Newark, Elizabeth, and NYC parks would be full of people who dragged mattresses out with police on foot patrol trying to see that they could get sleep before going to work the next day [pre & post WWII]. My Chicago cousins were visiting with us that week in '95, the New Jersey shore ALWAYS had a breeze.

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Pete Saunders's avatar

There are stories of people who did the same in Chicago during heat waves of the 40's and 50's.

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Mark P Horniacek's avatar

What about Detroit? My Paterson-raised wife had A/C, in one room, with the whole family sleeping there!

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