April, 1972 in an apartment without a/c. I then moved to one with a/c.

My son currently lives in that area. When I told him about my time without a/c he suddenly had a great deal of respect for me.

And yeah, it was brutal. That first summer I bought a window fan that operated all night. I had a lot of trouble functioning, because of the heat. I did learn that if I took a shower in the coldest water available, I could manage.

Some years ago, when I was anticipating relocating because I was getting divorced, I went to one of my left-wing things in DC,in part because I could easily think about relocating there. I knew the city. I knew I could find work. I knew I could find a place to live. One morning I went outside my hotel, and realized it was very hot outside, a lot hotter than I liked. I thought to myself, "I have choices. And I choose never again to live in a place where I need air conditioning." It was a wonderful choice.

Not that the DC area, or any other place where you absolutely need a/c isn't a good place to live, but for me, having lived where I've needed and where I haven't needed a/c, I know my choice.