THE THAMES RAN FOUL: A SUMMER OF FILTH, 1858

The city of London sweltered in the heat of summer, 1858. But it was not merely the sun that parched the metropolis. An even more detestable force infested its very heart: the River Thames. Years of industrial discharges had transformed London's lifeblood into a foul-smelling mire. The stench was oppressive, a miasma that clung to every cobblestone

On a blustery morning in that fateful year, disaster struck Boston. A massive reservoir filled with sticky, sweet molasses gave way sending a torrent of the thick liquid flowing through the streets. The impact was catastrophic, crushing buildings and trapping citizens in a gooey mire. Scores of people were lost their lives, and many more were wou