It was a balmy 76 degrees on July 4, 1776, as the Second Continental Congress gathered in Philadelphia to adopt the Declaration of Independence.
Nearly 250 years later, temperatures in the nation’s birthplace are passing 100 degrees as a record-breaking heat wave stifles the eastern half of the United States.
The striking backdrop for the country’s milestone birthday showcases the realities of climate change as President Donald Trump, who’s presiding over the nation’s semiquincentennial, dismisses the dangers of global warming and doubles down on his vision for expanding fossil fuel production.
The temperature on that fateful day in 1776 was recorded by Thomas Jefferson, who kept a meticulous diary of weather records for most of his life. Researchers from Princeton University and the University of Virginia have painstakingly transcribed the historical texts, including Jefferson’s meteorological observations from 1776 nearly until his death in 1826 — also on July 4.
