Historically, abnormal acidity in rain was first discovered in Britain, where industrial civilization first took root, and the term "acid rain" was coined bY the British scientist R. A. Smith in 1872.
依據史料記載，工業文明母國﹘ ﹘英國是最早被發現雨水不正常「發酸」的地方，一八七二年英國學者 R. A. Smith 就創造了「酸雨」一詞。