Speaker 1: Welcomed Aaron Mankey's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of I
Speaker 1: Heart Radio and Grim and Mild. Our world is full
Speaker 1: of the unexplainable, and if history is an open book,
Speaker 1: all of these amazing tales right there on display, just
Speaker 1: waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.
Speaker 1: When the Bolsheviks sees power in Russia in nineteen seventeen,
Speaker 1: their main message was freedom, freedom from the Russian aristocracy,
Speaker 1: freedom from the hated wars, and freedom for workers. As
Speaker 1: we know, what actually followed was a harsh crackdown on
Speaker 1: many freedoms, including free speech. The censorship became a central
Speaker 1: tenant of the Bolshevik government, cracking down on criticism of
Speaker 1: Stalin the U S s R. The government claimed that
Speaker 1: censorship was devoted to protecting workers interests. Really, it was
Speaker 1: focused on eliminating Stalin's political opponents and keeping the regime
Speaker 1: in power by any means necessary. Books and novels, even
Speaker 1: those by Russian authors, were heavily censored. Certain music was anathema,
Speaker 1: and modern art was considered an attack on the Soviet
Speaker 1: people's sensibilities. The States was very focused on ensuring that
Speaker 1: they had absolute control over every aspect of life, both
Speaker 1: public and private. During the Cold War, there was a
Speaker 1: battle of propagandists happening behind the scenes. Both countries were
Speaker 1: trying to influence the culture and beliefs of the other
Speaker 1: citizens to weaken their resolve. The USSR seemed to despise
Speaker 1: Western media, considering it a scourge on good Soviet beliefs
Speaker 1: and sensibilities, but the Kremlin likely realized early on that
Speaker 1: they weren't going to be able to keep all Western
Speaker 1: media and products out forever. Although they had a pretty
Speaker 1: good crack at it, something has managed to slip through
Speaker 1: and even became quite popular. Despite the Iron Curtain and
Speaker 1: the emphasis on only purchasing Soviet made products, plenty of
Speaker 1: Western businesses managed to strike trade deals. Admittedly, these opportunities
Speaker 1: were slim and mostly revolved around swapping products for Russian
Speaker 1: gas and oil. The Soviet government recognized that by allowing
Speaker 1: small amounts of these products in they could largely control
Speaker 1: their countries exposure to the decadent West. Soviet officials made
Speaker 1: short trips to Western countries and allowed small delegations in
Speaker 1: to both investigate what was going on in the rest
Speaker 1: of the world, and show off the best the Soviets
Speaker 1: had to offer. In nineteen fifty nine, there was an
Speaker 1: American National Exhibits in Moscow. Then Vice President Richard Nixon
Speaker 1: attended the exhibits, which was meant to be part of
Speaker 1: a series of cultural exchanges happening in both countries. There
Speaker 1: was a corresponding Soviet exhibits in New York City. Soviet
Speaker 1: leader Nikita Khrushchev toward the display with Nixon, but tempers
Speaker 1: flared as the two men baited each other over the
Speaker 1: captive Nation's resolution that had been passed by Congress a
Speaker 1: few days before. Khruschev saw this as a direct attack
Speaker 1: on Soviet policies of expansion, and to make a long
Speaker 1: story short, the two men fought in the middle of
Speaker 1: a model US kitchen. Raised voices and wagging fingers caught
Speaker 1: the attention of the press, and the two men forced
Speaker 1: themselves to calm down before outright threats were made. One
Speaker 1: of the other attendees, Donald Kendall, was the head of
Speaker 1: Pepsi's international division. He stepped in when the argument cooled
Speaker 1: off and offered everyone a glass of Pepsi to help
Speaker 1: them calm down and remind them about the point of
Speaker 1: the exhibition. It was a good press moment for both
Speaker 1: men to be photographed having a soda together, but it
Speaker 1: was an even greater moment for pepsi. Kendall wasn't even
Speaker 1: supposed to be at the exhibition. He had taken a
Speaker 1: risk convincing other Pepsi executives that they needed to showcase
Speaker 1: their product to the Soviets, and now his gambits had
Speaker 1: paid off, and the leader of the Soviet Union himself
Speaker 1: was drinking, even enjoying a pepsi. In fact, he was
Speaker 1: enjoy it so much he wanted to import it and
Speaker 1: sell it to Soviet citizens. This could have been a
Speaker 1: huge new market for pepsi, but there were a few
Speaker 1: hurdles to overcome. First, the ruble Soviet currency had no
Speaker 1: value outside the U s SR, so they had to
Speaker 1: fall back on the barter system to get what they wanted.
Speaker 1: Pepsi and the USSR worked out a deal, though for
Speaker 1: every bottle of pepsi they would trade an equal amount
Speaker 1: of Stolechnaya vodka that could be sold in the United States.
Speaker 1: In nineteen seventy two, Pepsi officially flooded the Soviet market,
Speaker 1: and they loved it. However, their cozy little deal was
Speaker 1: interrupted in the nineteen eighties by the Soviet Afghan War.
Speaker 1: Americans boycotted the few Soviet products on the markets, which
Speaker 1: meant that Pepsi was unable to sell their vodka. They
Speaker 1: had too much vodka and not enough cash, so the
Speaker 1: Soviets had to send something new to secure their beloved beverage.
Speaker 1: This led to one of the most bizarre trades I
Speaker 1: have ever read about. In exchange for the soda, the
Speaker 1: USSR traded Pepsi seventeen marines, a frigate, a cruiser, and
Speaker 1: a destroyer in nine This led to Pepsi owning the
Speaker 1: sixth largest naval fleet in the world, although just for
Speaker 1: a little while. In reality, these weapons of war were
Speaker 1: obsolete and barely usable, and although it might seem silly
Speaker 1: to us, it wasn't a stupid deal for either party.
Speaker 1: The Navy didn't even go directly to Pepsi. Instead, it
Speaker 1: was sent to a Norwegian firm, where the vessels were scrapped.
Speaker 1: The deal between Pepsi and the Soviets crumbled not long
Speaker 1: after this trade, when the Soviet Union itself came crashing down.
Speaker 1: But what a bizarre twist of fate that a Western
Speaker 1: soda was able to sweet talk some heavy weaponry out
Speaker 1: of the USSR just think for a little while in
Speaker 1: their quest for domination in the international coal a wars
Speaker 1: pepsi literally could have blown coke out of the water.
Speaker 1: Waking up to a gray day isn't exactly abnormal in London,
Speaker 1: where cloudy days are the majority. The city rests on
Speaker 1: a large river valley, which means that air often becomes
Speaker 1: trapped and can't circulate, which helps push weather like fog
Speaker 1: or rain out more quickly. London fog has been called
Speaker 1: everything from romantic too mysterious. One thing we know is
Speaker 1: that it seems to be nearly constant. That's why it
Speaker 1: was probably no surprise when in December of nineteen fifty
Speaker 1: two they woke up to what looked to be a
Speaker 1: typically dreary day. Maybe the fog looked a bit denser
Speaker 1: than usual, but it would blow over eventually, right. Well,
Speaker 1: The funny thing happened the night before a thirty mile
Speaker 1: wide cold air mass rolled into the area and covered
Speaker 1: the city, sitting so heavily on top of the valley
Speaker 1: that none of the air below could escape or even circulate.
Speaker 1: Most of the world still heated their homes, businesses, and
Speaker 1: factories with coal, so when the Cold Front swept in
Speaker 1: in late November, people simply tossed more coal on the
Speaker 1: fire and just kept going. Britain was still trying to
Speaker 1: claw its way out of World War two austerity and
Speaker 1: jump start their economy, so factories were working full tilt,
Speaker 1: which meant that they were pumping out plenty of smoke.
Speaker 1: Fires were stoked, wool jumpers were layered, and the heavy
Speaker 1: fog was no match for the determined. They had had
Speaker 1: these kind of days before, and there was actually a
Speaker 1: name for them, peace supers, as the fog is as
Speaker 1: thick as peace soup. Except the fog wouldn't lift as
Speaker 1: the day went on. It only became heavier and darker,
Speaker 1: and streets became less and less visible, which would have
Speaker 1: been spooky and mysterious if it hadn't also been deadly.
Speaker 1: The street lights could barely cast enough light for pedestrians
Speaker 1: to see, let alone be seen, and automobile headlamps didn't
Speaker 1: illuminate other people or vehicles until it was too late.
Speaker 1: And then somehow things got worse as the fog took
Speaker 1: on a yellowish brown tint and began to wreek of
Speaker 1: rotten eggs. London was trapped in a sea of coal, smoke, soot,
Speaker 1: and noxious gases that could and would cause serious damage.
Speaker 1: December five, nine fifty two was Day one of the
Speaker 1: Great Smog, and everyone was sure that it would dissipate. Yes,
Speaker 1: the air stink, but surely a great catastrophe could be avoided.
Speaker 1: I mean, they survived the blitz and still went to
Speaker 1: work the next day. No one was going to let
Speaker 1: a little fog keep them down right, but they had
Speaker 1: no idea. In central London, visibility got so bad that
Speaker 1: you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
Speaker 1: People abandoned their cars in the middle of the road
Speaker 1: when it got too murky to see. Some of the
Speaker 1: smogs solidified into a black, oozy substance like tar, something
Speaker 1: that crawled out of the black lagoon. During each day
Speaker 1: of the Great Smog, one thousand tons of particulate matter,
Speaker 1: two thousand tons of carbon dioxide, eight hundred tons of
Speaker 1: sulfuric acid and more were released into the air. People
Speaker 1: choked and wheezed along the sidewalks, covering their faces with
Speaker 1: scarves or handkerchiefs or cloth masks. They tried to get help.
Speaker 1: People tumbled into hospitals, their faces smeared with grits and grime,
Speaker 1: looking like they just climbed out of a coal mine.
Speaker 1: Nearly all public transit was shut down, as were ambulances.
Speaker 1: Flights and trains were canceled, and boats, London's primary source
Speaker 1: of importation, came to a standstill. Children were even kept
Speaker 1: home from school for fear of being lost out in
Speaker 1: the fog. Sporting events were canceled and businesses and theaters
Speaker 1: shut down. Crime spiked as some took advantage of the
Speaker 1: desperate situation to steal from shops, homes, and people on
Speaker 1: the streets who could barely see, let alone breathe. The
Speaker 1: Great Smog lasted for five days, five days of chaos, desperation,
Speaker 1: and not enough air to breathe, before it finally blessedly lifted. Doctors, nurses,
Speaker 1: ambulance drivers, former servicemen, really anyone who could banded together
Speaker 1: as best they could to pull the city through the
Speaker 1: disaster with limited supplies or help from the government, And
Speaker 1: as you might imagine, plenty of folks were vulnerable to
Speaker 1: the Terrible smog and the pandemonia that resulted. The elderly,
Speaker 1: little kids, smokers, and folks with respiratory problems were badly
Speaker 1: affected by the fog. People may have been ready and
Speaker 1: willing to brush it off as a freak event, but
Speaker 1: when the undertakers ran out of coffins and there wasn't
Speaker 1: a single funeral wreath to be found in London for
Speaker 1: love or money, the true impact became clear. At the time,
Speaker 1: experts estimate about four thousand people died due to the
Speaker 1: Great Smog, But like COVID nineteen and other respiratory pollutants,
Speaker 1: things like this have a way of lingering and having
Speaker 1: effects on the human body for decades to come. Today,
Speaker 1: the death toll is estimated to be between eight thousand
Speaker 1: and twelve thousand people. The government was slow to act
Speaker 1: and slower to send resources and aid to swamp hospitals
Speaker 1: and care stations. However, there's no great loss without some
Speaker 1: small gain. The resulting investigation into the causes of the
Speaker 1: fog and the government's actions led Britain to pass the
Speaker 1: Clean Air Act of nineteen fifty six, which worked to
Speaker 1: reduce smoke pollution, a solution that took a once suffering
Speaker 1: city and breathed new life into it. I hope you've
Speaker 1: enjoyed today's guided tour of the Cabinet of Curiosities. Subscribe
Speaker 1: for free on Apple Podcasts, or learn more about the
Speaker 1: show by visiting Curiosities podcast dot com. The show was
Speaker 1: created by me Aaron Manky in partnership with how Stuff Works.
Speaker 1: I make another award winning show called Lore, which is
Speaker 1: a podcast, book series, and television show, and you can
Speaker 1: learn all about it over at the World of Lore
Speaker 1: dot com. And until next time, stay curious.