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Strange but True — The Great London Smog
In December of 1952, London residents experienced five full days of continuous, thickly-blanketed smog. Mist and fog are not uncommon in Britain, particularly in autumn and winter, but what made this season especially deadly, was the high levels of air pollution mixed in the atmosphere.
It began on the 5th December, following an unusually cold period that saw homes and businesses burning large quantities of coal to keep warm. As the day wore on, the mist palled between and around every street and landmark, slowing the normal hustle and bustle to a minimum. With temperatures plummeting, more fires were lit. The factories chimneys billowed with ever more soot and the new diesel buses pumped out fumes.
These toxic components combined with the fog, turning it a yellowish-brown, giving rise to the infamous London smog, or ‘pea-soupers’; a favourite term of the locals. Cockneys are a hardy bunch, more so those who were touched by the war, so they continued their daily routines as best they could, covering their mouths and keeping windows shut.
This December proved extremely lethal. The high-pressure weather front stayed over southern England, trapping the motionless cold air close to the ground. With no breeze to clear out the poisonous gases, the toxic gas grew denser by the day. The smog was so thick, some reported that they…