# London killer fog: 50 years ago

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-killer-fog-50-years-ago/144282>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [December 21, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-killer-fog-50-years-ago/144282 "2002-12-21T23:05:07Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-killer-fog-50-years-ago/144282/1 "2002-12-21T23:05:07Z")

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Dec. 5-9, 1952: 8,000 people died in a killer fog in London.

> **[The Killer Fog of '52](https://www.npr.org/2002/12/11/873954/the-killer-fog-of-52)**
>
> Fifty years ago, a toxic mix of dense fog and sooty black coal smoke descended on London, essentially suffocating thousands to death.

The accounts are harrowing. Listen to Rosemary Merritt’s recollection. Her father died at home, and she says they had to keep the body in the front room of their home for 3 weeks because the usual facilities for burial couldn’t keep up with the sheer numbers. :eek: ☹ She sounds amazingly matter-of-fact about it. I can’t help but wonder why the body didn’t decompose messily.

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**Author:** ![Violet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/ebca7d/32.png) [@Violet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Violet)\
**Post date:** [December 21, 2002, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-killer-fog-50-years-ago/144282/2 "2002-12-21T23:09:41Z")

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Good grief! Makes the pile up on a southern California freeway last month look like nothing:  
[http://newsobserver.com/24hour/nation/story/604499p-4673456c.html](http://newsobserver.com/24hour/nation/story/604499p-4673456c.html)

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**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-killer-fog-50-years-ago/144282/3 "2002-12-22T01:22:36Z")

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Damn.

Visibility of 12 inches.

Damn.

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**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-killer-fog-50-years-ago/144282/4 "2002-12-22T04:53:34Z")

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I wrote my post after listening to her account but before the actual reports on NPR. She said the front room was kept locked and the body was in a coffin - presumably sealed and airtight.

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**Author:** ![Blackeyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/f6c823/32.png) [@Blackeyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blackeyes)\
**Post date:** [December 22, 2002, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/london-killer-fog-50-years-ago/144282/5 "2002-12-22T05:18:21Z")

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Wow. You don’t about these kinds of things much.