The hottest day?

We’ve known worse. It might not have been hotter in August 1898, but the “Great Heat Wave” went on for days. In Margate, The Daily Telegraph reported 132F (55.5C), but that was in the sun, a measure now discontinued. Policemen on duty became incapacitated, horses pulling buses “suffered terribly”. Shops sold pith helmets and apoplexy struck coal-porters labouring in the sunshine. Readers had their own theories on how best to respond to the heat. One swore by orange clothing, others were worried about the danger of a sudden chill to the stomach and advocated use of cummerbunds. In Parliament, 14 years later, in the hottest summer of the 20th century, one MP in a Grand Committee “in rather a hesitating manner removed his coat”. Soon half the committee were in shirtsleeves. The rot had set in.