New Yorkers have long sought shade on city streets, in parks, and at the beach. The use of shade equipment, such as umbrellas, was particularly important when it came to a day at the beach. In 1880, the New York Times reported, “The bathers were engaged in their sports in the water all day long...little boys and girls shed their shoes and stockings and paddled along the beach, apparently insensible to the heat, while their parents strode along by their side...carrying huge umbrellas.” In the heatwave of 1905, record-breaking crowds of over 300,000 people visited Coney Island. It was so hot that one woman lacking shade was overcome by the heat on the beach, according to reporters.