Summary of The Great Stink of 1858

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In 1858, London was plagued by a terrible smell that was described as "excruciating." The cause of the smell was unknown, but it was finally solved when it was discovered that the smell was coming from the River Thames. The Thames was eventually cleaned up, and the system that was put in place is still in use today.

• 00:00:00 The Great Stink of 1858 was a severe environmental disaster that occurred in London due to sewage contamination of the Thames. Dr. John Snow discovered that the pollution was caused by people drinking water laced with human excrement. His theories were eventually taken more seriously, and the Thames was eventually cleaned up.
• 00:05:00 The Great Stink of 1858 was a Smell so bad that it was reported at the time to cause people miles away to throw up when the wind changed. It was so bad, even the upper echelons of London society were unable to escape, up to and including the merry ol' Queen of England, who famously had to endure a very brief cruise along the Thames with a bouquet of flowers shoved in her face, before ordering the boat be re-docked within minutes of it setting out. However, despite all the complaints and attempts by individual politicians to fix the problem, it was not until after years of ignoring the pleas of their subjects that a sweeping bill authorizing £3 million to refurbish the entirety of the River Thames was created and passed. Joseph Bazalgette, the man put in charge of the refurbishment, was so successful in his plan that his system is still in use today.
• 00:10:00 In 1858, London was plagued by a terrible smell that was described as "excruciating." The cause of the smell was unknown, but it was finally solved when it was discovered that the smell was coming from the River Thames.