There’s the official line, and then there’s the unofficial reality. Chicago had officially set its all-time record high temperature of 105 degrees on July 24, 1934, but in July 1936, Midway Airport topped that figure three times–unofficially. On this day that year, some suburbs hit 112, while Lake Michigan kept the city’s official high, recorded at the University of Chicago, to a mere 95. On the West Side, water pressure plunged and the city threatened to arrest anyone opening a fireplug. But these kids had nothing to fear; according to the Tribune, fire officials themselves took pity and opened this hydrant.
Days of 100-degree-or-higher temperatures in Chicago since the 1870s: 55. Percentage of those days that fell in July: 53.
Number of fire hydrants in Chicago: 47,132.
Number of hydrants opened by Chicagoans during the 1995 heat wave: 3,000.
Maximum range of a classic water pistol, in feet: 8 to 9.
Maximum range of a Super Soaker: 50.
Gallons in the wave pool at Magic Waters Waterpark in Rockford: 707,000.
