The so-called dog days of summer might feel unbearable, but it's actually cold that's the real killer, according to a 2015 study based on data from 13 countries collected between 1985 and 2012. Of the 74 million deaths reviewed, 5.4 million were cold-related, while only 311,000 were related to hot weather. The study determined that cold temperatures are much harder on the human body's respiratory and cardiovascular systems than hot weather. Interestingly, the research also found that while temperature extremes are more life-threatening, most of the deaths occurred on moderately cold days, perhaps because people are more likely to find relief when temperatures reach extremes. The countries studied offered a variety of climates and the deaths occurred among people from a wide range of socioeconomic backgrounds.
More facts about temperature:
- Permanently shadowed craters on the Moon are believed to be the coldest places in the solar system, with temperatures below -397 degrees Fahrenheit (-238 degrees C).
- The hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth was in Death Valley, California in 1913, when the mercury reached 134 degrees F (56.7 degrees C).
- When Anders Celsius invented his temperature scale, he set the boiling point of water at 0 degrees and the freezing point at 100; it was later reversed.