Ran across this on Facebook, then Googled it and found a few more articles about it:
Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894
Great horse manure crisis of 1894 - Wikipedia
The Big Crapple: NYC Transit Pollution from Horse Manure to Horseless Carriages - 99% Invisible
Gist was that in 1894 there were 150,000 horses in New York City, producing some three million pounds horse manure and 40,000 gallons of urine every day. Wet streets turned into manure swamps, and when streets were dry, wind blew manure dust onto buildings and into people's lungs. It piled up faster than it could be disposed of, and more than farmers could use, so vacant lots had piles of poop over forty feet high. Plus streets were littered with the bodies of dead horses, more than three dozen of which had to be hauled off every day. All this was a huge breeding ground for flies and disease, including deadly outbreaks of typhoid and infant diarrhea. And even healthy horses could be dangerous. They would get spooked and kick, bite or trample people. One expert estimated that seven times as many people were killed by horses than by automobiles.
Guess cars aren't so bad after all.
Great Horse Manure Crisis of 1894
Great horse manure crisis of 1894 - Wikipedia
The Big Crapple: NYC Transit Pollution from Horse Manure to Horseless Carriages - 99% Invisible
Gist was that in 1894 there were 150,000 horses in New York City, producing some three million pounds horse manure and 40,000 gallons of urine every day. Wet streets turned into manure swamps, and when streets were dry, wind blew manure dust onto buildings and into people's lungs. It piled up faster than it could be disposed of, and more than farmers could use, so vacant lots had piles of poop over forty feet high. Plus streets were littered with the bodies of dead horses, more than three dozen of which had to be hauled off every day. All this was a huge breeding ground for flies and disease, including deadly outbreaks of typhoid and infant diarrhea. And even healthy horses could be dangerous. They would get spooked and kick, bite or trample people. One expert estimated that seven times as many people were killed by horses than by automobiles.
Guess cars aren't so bad after all.
