1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:01,920 Speaker 1: This Day in History Class is a production of I 2 00:00:02,040 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Heart Radio. Hi everyone, I'm Eves and welcome to This 3 00:00:07,280 --> 00:00:10,440 Speaker 1: Day in History Class, a podcast where we rip out 4 00:00:10,440 --> 00:00:15,000 Speaker 1: a page from the history books every day. Today is 5 00:00:15,040 --> 00:00:27,080 Speaker 1: December five, nineteen. The day was December five, nineteen fifty two. 6 00:00:28,120 --> 00:00:31,280 Speaker 1: A dense layer of fog descended on London and covered 7 00:00:31,320 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: the city for five days. The fog ended up killing 8 00:00:35,280 --> 00:00:38,280 Speaker 1: thousands of people and what was the worst air pollution 9 00:00:38,360 --> 00:00:42,520 Speaker 1: disaster in the United Kingdom. It was a particularly chilly 10 00:00:42,560 --> 00:00:45,200 Speaker 1: time in the misty city of London since an anti 11 00:00:45,240 --> 00:00:49,400 Speaker 1: cyclone had caused cold, stagnant air to become trapped below 12 00:00:49,440 --> 00:00:52,640 Speaker 1: warm air. Though factories had been moving out of the 13 00:00:52,720 --> 00:00:55,760 Speaker 1: city and smog was not an issue as frequently as 14 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: it once was, businesses and households still used a lot 15 00:00:59,680 --> 00:01:04,040 Speaker 1: of cold fog mixed with sulfur dioxide and smoke that 16 00:01:04,160 --> 00:01:09,600 Speaker 1: came from smokestacks, chimneys and vehicles. Since smog and anticyclones 17 00:01:09,640 --> 00:01:13,679 Speaker 1: happened relatively frequently in London, residents did not think much 18 00:01:13,680 --> 00:01:17,039 Speaker 1: of the polluted fog, but the temperature inversion made it 19 00:01:17,080 --> 00:01:19,840 Speaker 1: so that the smog could not rise, trapping it near 20 00:01:19,880 --> 00:01:22,880 Speaker 1: the ground. And there was no wind to carry the 21 00:01:22,920 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 1: smog away from the city. The smog began to get 22 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:30,679 Speaker 1: thicker and it smelled of sulfur. It limited visibility to 23 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:34,080 Speaker 1: the point that people couldn't see their own feet. Because 24 00:01:34,160 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: drivers were unable to navigate, transportation was brought to a halt. 25 00:01:38,640 --> 00:01:42,679 Speaker 1: The London Underground could still operate, but boat traffic, flights 26 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:47,400 Speaker 1: and trains could not. Emergency vehicles had difficulty getting through 27 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,480 Speaker 1: the city streets, leaving many people to walk to get 28 00:01:50,520 --> 00:01:55,520 Speaker 1: help and crime rates to rise. Children stayed home from school, 29 00:01:55,760 --> 00:01:59,040 Speaker 1: and sporting events were canceled because the smog made its 30 00:01:59,080 --> 00:02:03,160 Speaker 1: way into building. Indoor events like plays and concerts were 31 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 1: also canceled. The smog lifted on December ninth, when wind 32 00:02:07,960 --> 00:02:10,960 Speaker 1: carried the smog away from the city into the North Sea, 33 00:02:11,080 --> 00:02:13,920 Speaker 1: but the smog had been lethal. As people inhaled the 34 00:02:13,960 --> 00:02:18,679 Speaker 1: toxics mog, they died of bronchitis and pneumonia. The elderly, 35 00:02:18,840 --> 00:02:22,920 Speaker 1: children and people who already had respiratory issues were particularly 36 00:02:22,960 --> 00:02:25,840 Speaker 1: at risk of complications or death due to the smog. 37 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:30,000 Speaker 1: Many people choked to death or died of heart failure 38 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:33,799 Speaker 1: as they struggled to breathe animals died or became ill 39 00:02:33,840 --> 00:02:37,400 Speaker 1: because of the smog. Around four thousand people died in 40 00:02:37,400 --> 00:02:40,400 Speaker 1: the immediate aftermath of the incident, but in the months 41 00:02:40,480 --> 00:02:44,080 Speaker 1: after the smog the death rate remained high, as thousands 42 00:02:44,120 --> 00:02:47,440 Speaker 1: more people than normal died because of the smogs effects, 43 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 1: and estimated twelve thousand people died due to the toxics mog. 44 00:02:53,560 --> 00:02:56,800 Speaker 1: The devastation that the fog caused made clear the impact 45 00:02:56,880 --> 00:03:00,800 Speaker 1: of air pollution. Still, government officials didn't treat the issue 46 00:03:00,800 --> 00:03:06,440 Speaker 1: with urgency. Some thought legislating cleaner air was unnecessary and alarmist, 47 00:03:06,880 --> 00:03:09,360 Speaker 1: Some were worried about how expensive it would be to 48 00:03:09,400 --> 00:03:13,519 Speaker 1: implement cleaner fuels, and some denied that Small caused the 49 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:17,400 Speaker 1: high death rate. It took an investigative committee to push 50 00:03:17,400 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: the government to act. In nineteen fifty six, the British 51 00:03:21,280 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 1: government passed the Clean Air Act, which restricted the burning 52 00:03:24,480 --> 00:03:27,760 Speaker 1: of coal in urban areas and authorized the establishment of 53 00:03:27,800 --> 00:03:32,359 Speaker 1: smoke free areas. Homeowners were also offered grants that would 54 00:03:32,400 --> 00:03:35,920 Speaker 1: allow them to switch from coal heating systems to alternative 55 00:03:35,960 --> 00:03:40,800 Speaker 1: systems that used oil, natural gas, or electricity. Even though 56 00:03:40,840 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: Small caused more disasters in the following years, air pollution 57 00:03:44,840 --> 00:03:48,880 Speaker 1: in London eventually improved as people converted from coal and 58 00:03:48,880 --> 00:03:52,000 Speaker 1: the Great Small of London increased public awareness of pollution 59 00:03:52,040 --> 00:03:56,400 Speaker 1: related issues. I'm Eve Jeffcote and hopefully you know a 60 00:03:56,400 --> 00:04:00,200 Speaker 1: little more about history today than you did yesterday. You 61 00:04:00,240 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: can find us on social media at t d i 62 00:04:03,480 --> 00:04:08,400 Speaker 1: h C Podcast on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can 63 00:04:08,440 --> 00:04:11,880 Speaker 1: also shoot us an email at this Day at i 64 00:04:12,120 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: heart media dot com. I hope you enjoyed today's episode. 65 00:04:16,560 --> 00:04:32,560 Speaker 1: We'll be back tomorrow with another one. For more podcasts 66 00:04:32,560 --> 00:04:34,560 Speaker 1: from my heart Radio, visit the i heart Radio app, 67 00:04:34,600 --> 00:04:37,239 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.