S1E26 - The Great Stink: How a London Summer Saved Civilization

What if the survival of modern civilization hinged on a single, unbearable summer stench? In 1858, London was brought to its knees not by war or famine, but by the overwhelming odor of its own waste—a crisis that threatened to collapse the world's greatest empire from within. This episode plunges into the heart of "The Great Stink." We explore how the Victorian city's simple, centuries-old solution—dumping everything into the River Thames—created a lethal, bubbling sewer that ran through the city center. As a sweltering heatwave magnified the smell, Parliament faced a literal and political shutdown, forcing a desperate confro...