Genuine Los Angeles Smog

A gag gift from 1958. Cans of the stuff occasionally pop up on eBay, though none are currently available.

More info: kcet.org



Honolulu Star-Bulletin - Apr 24, 1958



Colorado Daily Sentinel - Jun 22, 1958

     Posted By: Alex - Thu Jul 07, 2022
     Category: Gifts, Presents, Tributes, and Other Honoraria | Urban Life | 1950s





Comments
Back in 1967 for the worlds fair in Montreal, somebody was selling cans of "Expo-Air", very silly.
Posted by Andre Vandal on 07/07/22 at 05:47 AM
If these cans are tightly sealed, it might be interesting for a scientist to extract and analyze the air contained within. There might even be a PhD in doing so for some enterprising graduate student.
Posted by Fritz on 07/07/22 at 07:06 AM
There's bound to be the scientific equivalent of this located in the bowels of some gubment lab or EPA contractor's building. Yeah, they've got the historical composition of downtown LaLa Land air recorded on paper and/or digital, but what if it becomes important to go back and find out when something not previously considered first started appearing in the city's air? How about ytterbium fluoride? Or zirconium orthosilicate? You never know what's going to become important to the taxpayer.
Posted by Virtual in Carnate on 07/07/22 at 09:15 AM
Is this anything like the replacement "wiring harness smoke" you can buy for your car with a Lucas positive-ground electrical system? The theory is the wiring worked before the smoke escaped from it, so putting new smoke in should get it working again. Google it -- you can actually buy bottles of it, with a Lucas part number and everything.

(Of course, there are also sites which will sell you muffler bearings and blinker fluid, so it's 'buyer beware.')
Posted by Phideaux on 07/07/22 at 07:21 PM
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