On December 5, 1952, a cold, moist air mass moved in over London. At that time, the vast majority of homes in Greater London used coal for heat. Chilled and damp, residents began burning more of the dirty, high-sulphur coal commonly used for heating.

Smoke, sulphides and ash from the coal and industrial pollutants from unrestricted factory chimneys were trapped by the cold inversion layer, hovering across the city. Concentrations of smoke in the air increased tenfold.

London was known for dense, yellow fogs called "pea-soupers." However, this was no ordinary fog. On some streets people couldn't see their feet. Films were cancelled because smog obscured the screen. The opera shut down, and soccer-mad Britons were deprived of scheduled matches because the pitch was invisible in the murk. Driving became nearly impossible. But most Londoners didn't own cars and noticed little unusual.

It wasn't until weeks afterwards, as medical services compiled the records that the Great Smog was found to have killed or accelerated the deaths of 4,000 people.

Many of the dead were simply unable to draw sufficient oxygen from the contaminated air. Others died of bronchitis and similar respiratory complications. Approximately 8,000 people died in the following weeks of causes related to the yellow mist.

The Big Smoke was a pivotal moment in the environmental movement. In 1954 the first air quality legislation in Britain was passed. Other acts in 1956 and 1958 changed the quality of motor and heating fuels and regulated industrial smokes.

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