We’re starting to get into the hottest part of the year, familiarly known as the “Dog Days,” when temperatures can sometimes reach over 100 degrees F. Thankfully, many people today have air conditioning, but in July, 1911, temperatures reached way over the 90s for days, causing the deaths of 211 people in New York alone.

The actual term Dog Days has nothing to do with your furry housemate, but with the position of the brightest star in the nighttime sky: Sirius, Our ancestors noticed that this star rose just before the Sun -heliacal rising – in July and August, during the hottest time of year. The name “Sirius” is ancient Greek for “glowing,” or “scorcher.” To the ancient Egyptians, it meant more than the temperature: At this time of year, the snows would melt on the mountains, and the waters would join with the Nile, causing its banks to flood, bringing relief to the farms along its banks. Also, it was noted that, right before Sirius, there was another star that appeared just a bit before Sirius, almost like a reminder that Sirius was soon to appear. This star became known as the one that rises before Sirius, or Procyon.