Heat Wave Fatal to 800 - July 1995

At least 800 people died in the Middle West and Northeast as a result of a heat wave that smothered the region between July 12 and 17. In Chicago, where the temperature reached an all-time high of 106 degrees on July 13, 536 deaths were blamed on the heat. Many of the victims were elderly people who lived alone and who could not afford air conditioning. Large numbers of cattle and chickens died. Pres. Bill Clinton announced, July 21, that $100M in federal emergency aid would be distributed to 19 states.