families cooled – As record temperatures tighten the grip of summer—from France’s hottest day on record to 2024’s role as the U.S. hottest year—this story looks at how households coped long before air conditioning became common. From iceboxes and delivered blocks of ice to hand
On a day when heat breaks records, it can feel like air conditioning is the only answer. But for many families—especially before electric refrigeration spread—the summer relief system was built out of ice, fans, and routines shaped by the weather itself.
France recorded its hottest day on record on Tuesday. while the United Kingdom logged its highest temperature ever for June. according to the Associated Press. In the United States. the nine hottest years on record have all occurred since 2012. according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Its hottest year came in 2024, when 17 states broke their individual records.
Yet the modern comfort many people assume is universal is still out of reach for many. Only about 20% of households in Europe have air conditioning. And across earlier heat waves in U.S. history, the solution wasn’t as simple as turning a thermostat.
Long before window units and central air conditioning became affordable, people still found ways to cool down. Mechanical air-cooling techniques were used as early as the 1910s in the United States—for instance. when the Missouri State Building was cooled at the St. Louis World’s Fair in 1904, according to the Department of Energy. But the shift toward everyday air conditioning didn’t arrive until the mid-20th century. when affordable window units and central air conditioning became common.
Even after air conditioning became a typical feature of modern homes. it wasn’t always the primary escape from the heat. Some people leaned on classics still widely used today. Eating ice cream to cool off was a straightforward comfort. Others turned to frozen blocks of ice—especially when electric refrigeration hadn’t yet made itself at home.
Electric refrigeration didn’t become common in American homes until the 1930s, meaning iceboxes were the norm for most families. That setup depended on delivery from an iceman, according to the National Museum of American History. People didn’t just chill food. They also used the cooling effects directly. Blocks of ice were sometimes employed to beat the heat: people would sit on ice blocks. fan themselves with the air it emitted. and even lick them. according to the Library of Congress.
Cold drinks and frozen treats weren’t side pleasures in that world. They were relief. Beverages like lemonade were summer staples, and they mattered even more before air conditioning. One newspaper recipe from 1915 said lemonade is “family’s best friend when sun is sizzling hot,” per the Library of Congress.
There were seasonal comforts tied to different eras too. When booze was off the shelves during Prohibition, ice-cream soda became the country’s favorite beverage, National Geographic reported. In 1922, Americans consumed 325 million gallons of the frozen treat.
For many households, cooling also meant finding ways to move air. Electric fans existed earlier than most people realize. The electric fan was invented in 1882 by electrical engineer Schuyler Skaats Wheeler. But early models were dangerous and expensive. and usually reserved for wealthier Americans. according to the Spark Museum of Electrical Invention.
As mass production made electric fans more affordable, their widespread use was halted by the Great Depression. It wasn’t until the 1940s that they saw a boom, the Los Angeles Times reported. In the meantime, handheld fans were a necessity in most settings.
Church fans became especially common in the humid South. They would often display artwork or images of religious figures and notable people. according to the National Museum of American History. When the air is heavy and the house runs hot. those fan choices weren’t about decoration—they were about getting through the day.
Sometimes heat control wasn’t a device at all—it was a schedule. If a home didn’t have air conditioning, it usually meant preparing dinner generated a lot of additional heat. People planned around outdoor temperatures, sometimes cooking in the cooler hours of the day. A 1919 U.S. Department of Agriculture instruction booklet for homemade fireless cookers advises preparing meals “early in the morning. ” citing the convenience of keeping the kitchen cool in the summer.
And in some places, the summer relief came with a familiar public landmark. Children would create makeshift sprinklers out of open fire hydrants. The tradition is perhaps best associated with New York City. The New York Times cited an article from the 20th century that described fire hydrants as “the lifeline of summer. spewing cooling excitement to all around it.”.
During a 1925 heat wave. New York City’s fire commissioner even asked the police to guard fire hydrants because of how often children would bust them open. The impulse didn’t disappear; the practice stayed part of local summer life. Residents can request a sprinkler cap—turning fire hydrants into gentle sprinklers—from their local firehouse. according to the city’s Department of Environmental Protection.
What emerges from all these details is a long-running reality: when cooling technology is limited or unaffordable. everyday life bends around temperature. Food gets chilled with icebox deliveries and then gets supplemented with direct, physical contact with ice. Families lean on cold drinks, frozen treats, and fans long before mass air conditioning. Cooking shifts to earlier hours, and even public infrastructure becomes part of the coping strategy.
Now. as heat waves intensify and more regions post record temperatures. the old methods read less like trivia and more like a reminder. The comfort of modern air conditioning is valuable—but it’s also recent history. For much of the past. survival in summer meant improvising with what was available. and turning relief into a habit before the thermostat ever existed.
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