Death For Millions In 1921’s Record Heat Wave

By Paul Homewood

I have mentioned the unusually hot and dry weather in Britain in July 1921. The heatwave was actually much more extensive and prolonged, as the New York Herald reported in early September. The heatwave and drought led to what was known as The Great Famine in Russia, said to be one of the worst human disasters of the 20th century. Exacerbated by Bolshevik policies, the death toll has been estimated at 5 million.

Back home, daytime temperatures in July, according to CET, were a full two degrees centigrade higher than last month, continuing a long run of warm and dry weather that year. The heatwave was also widespread across much of Europe, where forest fires were extensive. Already the Met Office was warning of a famine of unparalleled severity in Russia: