Quote:
Originally Posted by choctaw111
That is very interesting.
What about the overall pollution over rural areas? Would this have been worse back then as well?
I am only asking as I have seen photos of mountain ranges (in the US) from the 1940's and compared them to the same view today.
The view from 70 years ago is much more clear.
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You realize that the rocky mountains of the US were pretty much deserted at that time vs the south of england right? Your using an example of one of the(at that time) least industrialized areas of the world with one of the most industrialized areas of the world.
"London
Victorian London was notorious for its thick smogs, or "pea-soupers", a fact that is often recreated to add an air of mystery to a period costume drama
In 1306, concerns over air pollution were sufficient for Edward I to (briefly) ban coal fires in London.[11] In 1661, John Evelyn's Fumifugium suggested burning fragrant wood instead of mineral coal, which he believed would reduce coughing. The Ballad of Gresham College the same year describes how the smoke "does our lungs and spirits choke, Our hanging spoil, and rust our iron."
Severe episodes of smog continued in the 19th and 20th centuries and were nicknamed "pea-soupers". The Great Smog of 1952 darkened the streets of London and killed approximately 4,000 people in the short time of 4 days (a further 8,000[12] died from its effects in the following weeks and months). Initially a flu epidemic was blamed for the loss of life. "