Some Trivia I just read:
On September 13, 1922 the meteorological station in El Azizia recorded a blistering 136° F/ 57.8° C, Note that this was the temperature on the thermometer in an enclosed shelter 5 mts above ground , some claim that the actual temperature on the ground could have reached 150° F/ 66° C !! and else where meters away from the Met dept the temperature could have been still higher !!
Death Valley, California comes in a close second, On July 10, 1913 this place recorded 134° F/ 56.6°C .
These records are based on the air temperature measurements done by weather stations scattered across the earth. But the actual temperature on the surface of the earth at that point of time could have been much higher. A NASA satellite recorded surface temperatures in the Lut desert of Iran as high as 71 °C (159 °F), the hottest temperature ever recorded on the surface of the Earth.