THE THAMES RAN FOUL: A SUMMER OF FILTH, 1858

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

For centuries, the region of Catalonia blossomed under its own distinct identity, fostering a language and traditions that set it apart from its surrounding regions. However, this autonomy was threatened by the increasing influence of the Spanish crown, leading to growing tensions between the two entities. The Catalan people aspired for self-determ