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 discharges had transformed London's lifeblood into a stench. The stench was overwhelming, a miasma that clung to every cobblestone and infused

For centuries, the region of Catalonia thrived under its own distinct identity, fostering a language and traditions that set it apart from its neighbors. However, this autonomy was assailed by the increasing influence of the Spanish crown, leading to growing tensions between the two entities. The Catalan people yearned for self-determination, a des