68 Historical Photographs That Help Us Understand What Life Was Like in the 1920s

#5: Beating the Heat

During the 1920s, women found a unique way to escape the heat by lounging on a colossal ice block. These periods experienced intense heat waves, but they were nothing compared to the extreme weather the Dust Bowl years later would unleash. This illustrates how inventive methods were used for relief from the searing sun.

Even in the past, summer temperatures soared, as evidenced by New York City’s highs reaching 88 degrees. The image of women chilling on a massive ice block captures a clever, albeit impractical, method to fend off the summer heat. It’s a pity we can’t simply pick up a giant ice block from stores like Walmart today to mitigate the effects of America’s blistering summers.