As bad as pollution seems these days, since the industrial revolution we've managed to befoul the air in all kinds of ways. Back in 1948, a freak weather condition created a "air lid" over the mill town of Donora, Pennsylvania, trapping the sulfuric acid, nitrogen dioxide and fluorine emitted by the local zinc and steel plants. A five day-long poisonous smog descended on the town, killing 20 people and making nearly half of the inhabitants sick.
The town was understandably reluctant to publicize this tragedy, but it received national coverage. The silver lining is that some of the first pollution laws were created because of the Donora smog, including the Clean Air Act of 1970.
To mark the 60th anniversary of the smog, the Donora Smog Museum was opened to display photographs, newspapers and studies about the smog. They are also collecting oral histories about the week, with the hope that we can learn from the lessons of the past to deal with our current pollution problems.
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