OUT OF THE SMOG

'MAD MEN'

"DARK SHADOWS"

It's a common refrain in my argument in defense of television that it's a teaching tool. And I especially enjoy when TV shows set in Toobworld incorporate actual historical events into their fictional storylines. I'm not just talking about the major moments in History like the sinking of the Titanic, the Civil War, and the assassinations of Presidents Kennedy and Lincoln. There are smaller events in History that are just as important and their use in TV shows can help keep them in people's memory.

A good show for this has been 'Mad Men' over the last few years, and a great example came up at the end of Sunday night's episode. As Megan Draper prepared for Thanksgiving dinner, she warned her husband Don to keep the patio door closed because of the high smog alert.

I'm the same age as Sally Draper; I was also eleven in 1966. But I grew up in Connecticut and I think the problem was limited to New York City. At the very least I don't remember anything about it. Which is why it's a good thing that there are web sites and blogs out there who do.

BCnU!