In a report that surprised virtually nobody, researchers declared last month to be the hottest in U.S. history, beating out 1936’s Dust Bowl that had held onto the top spot despite the past two decades of gradually warming temperatures. With an average temperature of 77.6 degrees, 3.3 degrees above the 20th century average, the drought that has plagued the Midwest all summer has now landed its place in history. In fact, the January-July period is the hottest stretch in American history as a whole, 3 entire degrees above the previous record …