< 'Dirty Old London': A History Of The Victorians' Infamous Filth
TERRY GROSS, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. In the 19th century, London was the capital of the largest empire the world had ever known. It was also infamously filthy. Its residents choked on soot-drenched fog, traveled down streets covered with muddy horse excrement and drank water from the Thames River, which was thick with human