In the summer of 1896, a heat wave gripped New York City at a time when people lived crammed together in tenements Lacking air conditioning and running water, the heat killed about 1500 people in ten sweltering days

In an era when governments did little to help people, then relatively unknown Theodore Roosevelt took action that saved lives and launched his political career

As police commissioner he ordered the fire department to spray down the exterior of buildings, sidewalks and streets with water and worked to have ice delivered to suffering people The water dropped building temperatures a few degrees and