July 10 marks the 100th anniversary of the hottest temperature ever recorded on the surface of the earth. It reached 134 degrees Fahrenheit at Furnace Creek, Calif. on July 10, 1913 inside the present-day Death Valley National Park.
The record was previously held by El Azizia, Libya, where a temperature of 136.4 F was recorded on September 13, 1922. In September 2012, a World Meteorological Organization panel identified several major issues with the record, invalidated it and restored the title to Death Valley.
In the century since the heat record was set, average U.S. temperatures have risen more than one degree Fahrenheit. 2012 was the warmest year on record for the contiguous U.S., according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The 1913 record was nearly broken at the end of June 2013, when a major heat wave scorched the western U.S. A tentatively recorded temperature of 129 F at Death Valley on June 30 tied the U.S. record for the highest temperature ever recorded in June.
All temperatures in degrees Fahrenheit. Hottest temperatures by state are daily high records. Average temperatures by region are annual average temperatures.
Infographic by Jan Diehm for The Huffington Post.
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