There probably aren’t many people In the USA who remember the days before air conditioning. However, the recent storms that caused power outages were an uncomfortable reminder of those days when there wasn’t any. What in the world did people do during heat waves ? How did they ever make it through the notorious summer of 1936, for example. I was a baby then, and the depression had sent sent us scurrying back to Grandpa’s Indiana farm from New York City. Some people went naked in the 40’s without AC.

NAKED IN THE 40'S WITHOUT During a heat wave, some didn't wear clothes.

NAKED IN THE 40’S WITHOUT AC. Having a heat wave called for shedding one’s clothes.

A lot of people walked around in their undies if they were in a place where they wouldn’t be arrested for indecent exposure. In the early 1940’s 30% of people lived on farms. Some farmers stripped naked when coming in from the fields on a sweltering day. The wife might show a little more modesty by stripping down to her underpants. Most city people didn’t go quite that far. They closed their shades and turned on their fans. But the women wore halter tops that showed as much as a pin up girl on a WWII poster. And men who went bare chested while mowing the lawn weren’t considered indecent.

Kids had an easier time keeping cool. They could run outside in their bathing suits and turn on the hose. And if it began to thunder, they didn’t worry about getting struck by lightening. They played in the rain, and it wasn’t considered negligence on the part of the parent. I would imagine there were some bad accidents that took place, but I didn’t know a single kid who got struck by lightening. Even more fun was floating homemade “boats” of twigs and leaves in the rainwater flowing down the gutters on the side of the street.

The ice man came every few days , and we kids rode the back of his truck to sneak slivers of ice. Electric refrigerators were a luxury so the average homeowner had an ice box. Most everyone had large window fans , maybe blowing over a bowl of ice. Almost every house had a front porch. You could sit outside and enjoy the cool evening breezes as the sun went down. Close neighbors would talk and visit, while others parked their bicycles to stop by for a chat.

If you lived anywhere near a creek, lake, or ocean, you headed to the beach hoping for enough privacy to skinny dip. Many people spent the night sleeping on the sand. Not sure if they had bug spray then, so mosquito bites must have been a problem.

So now , If your power goes out, just remember all of your ancestors from the beginning of time who didn’t have air conditioning. If they could make it through, so can you.

We having a heat wave

The first heatwave has come on way too early this year. We expect it in summer, but it’s still officially spring. Global warming may or may not be to blame, because I can remember a few heatwaves when I was growing up in Indiana. There was no air conditioning in those days, unless you went to a department store or movie theatre. Most of us just sweat it out at home in various degrees of undress. As kids, we ran under a garden sprinkler hose to cool down. But grownups had to keep on going to work, taking care of children, cooking, doing laundry. Nowadays, most everyone has air conditioning. Except, sometimes you don’t. Even without a power blackout, the air conditioner often gets overloaded and breaks down. What to do? How to survive a heatwave A/C meltdown:

While you’re waiting in line for a repairman to come and fix whatever’s broken, here’s what you can do to cool a house with damp towels. This also works if you have a two story house, with an upstairs room that the air conditioning doesn’t reach.

1. Close all windows and doors in the early morning. Draw all the shades and pull the curtains shut.

2.Find every fan you have in the house, on the porch, garage, or basement and turn them on. .

3. Go to your linen closet and pull out some bath towels. Soak them in cold water. A damp towel, preferably light-colored, should hang in a window or in front of a fan, where its trapped water evaporates and cools the air flowing through it. Your rooms may not get as cold as they would with an air conditioner, but the towels and fans will alleviate the worst of the heat. And the noise from a fan is far less than a window air conditioner.

How To survive a heatwave meltdown. Hang a wet towel in front of your window. — How To Survive A Heatwave Meltdown. Hang a wet towel in your window and turn on a fan.

Meanwhile, turn off the oven. Eat cold cuts, or go for carry out.

Believe it or not, some people don’t have air conditioners at all. 87% of Americans have some type of air conditioning , but that’s true in only 8% of the rest of the world. You, too, can survive a heatwave without an air conditioner.

Finally, you might download you tube music “HeatWave,” , and listen to Irving Berlin’s popular song from the thirties https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5PpCCfhBhY

How to survive a heatwave meltdown. Listen to Ethel waters sing "Havin A Heatwave" — How To Survive A Heatwave Meltdown. Listen to Ethel Waters sing while hanging wet towels in front of fans.

Oh! We’re having a heatwave, a tropical heatwave
The temperature’s rising, it isn’t surprising,
She certainly can the can-can
She started a heatwave by letting her seat wave,
In such a way that the customers say
That she certainly can can-can

Tag: no air conditioning

NAKED IN THE 40’S WITHOUT AC

HOW TO SURVIVE A HEATWAVE MELTDOWN