Back in the 1920s, a US Army Air Service plane released a massive smoke screen in front of a navy warship. This smoke curtain was intended to conceal a bombing plane from the ship’s view. The screen was made by dispersing titanium tetrachloride, a substance that reacts with the moist sea air to create dense, white clouds of titanium dioxide and hydrochloric acid mist. This mixture was not only highly corrosive but also harmful to health, capable of damaging lungs, eyes, and skin. Sailors would h