39 Broadwick St, London, UK
Water pumps are not the most thrilling objects in the world but this one is truly special. It was the source of the Cholera epidemic of 1854, a.k.a. Golden Square outbreak. In about two weeks it killed over 500 people in this neighbourhood. Overall, more than 10,000 Londoners died of cholera that year. At the time it was assumed that cholera was an airborne disease. A physician called John Snow traced the outbreak to the water from this pump and had the pump handle removed to stop people drinking from it. One of the clues that helped Dr. Snow was that some victims had travelled across the city to use this particular pump, preferring its taste to their local water. He was the first one to suggest the hypothesis that contaminated water, not air, spread cholera. This discovery came to influence public health and the construction of improved sanitation facilities in the 19th century.
Hint: look for an old black water pump without handle in Broadwick street, just outside the John Snow pub
