Brain Junk

When your city is used to having smoke and coal dust and fog all mix together into a "pea soup" yellow fog that chokes the city for days each year, life goes on through the murk. But the Great Smog from Dec 5 - 9th, 1952 was so bad, an estimated 12,000 people died. It was the kind of weather and pollution combination that spurred people to change air quality regulations. (Amy mentions 4,000 people dying in the years after the fog from long lasting effects. We completely forgot to share the huge number of people who died during the actual days of the event.)Show Notes:Getty images of the Great Smog Want to learn more? Check out this article from The VergeMemories from people who lived through the great smog: The Guardian This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit brainjunkpodcast.substack.com