THE THAMES RAN FOUL: A SUMMER OF FILTH, 1858

The city of London sweltered in the heat of summer, 1858. But it was not merely the sun that parched the metropolis. An even more repellent force infested its very heart: the River Thames. Years of industrial discharges had transformed London's lifeblood into a foul-smelling mire. The stench was overwhelming, a miasma that clung to every cobbleston

The year 845 AD. A chill wind whistled across the Seine River, carrying with it the scent of salt and fear. The Norsemen had arrived, a ravenous swarm of warriors seeking plunder. Their longships, like wolves, sliced through the waters, their standards waving in the wind. A city once confident now trembled beneath the menace of Valhalla's embrace.