This Day in History: 1952-12-04

The “big smoke” hits London On this day in 1952, a “proper pea-souper” paralyzes London with smog so thick that people could not see their own feet. Although similar killer fogs are common from coal burning in major cities like London, this one lasts five days and kills an estimated 4,000 to 12,000 people. Public concern leads to the UK’s Clean Air Act of 1956 which banned the use of soft high-sulfur coal for home heating. It also marks the beginning of a new phase in public health and environmental awareness. In the US, similar smog episodes in the 1940s and 50s, in Donora PA (near Pittsburgh) New York and Los Angeles, begin to have the same political effect.