England
Things you probably didn't know about London
Two thousand years of history, from Roman walls to the Olympic Park.
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1863 — fact 1 of 5
The Underground was the world’s first
When the Metropolitan Railway opened in January 1863, no city on earth had ever run trains under streets before.
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1078 — fact 2 of 5
The Tower of London is nearly a thousand years old
William the Conqueror began the White Tower in the 1070s, and it has been a fortress, palace, prison and zoo since.
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1666 — fact 3 of 5
The Great Fire rebuilt the city
In September 1666, fire destroyed some 13,000 houses — and gave London the stone city, and St Paul’s Cathedral, it has today.
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1859 — fact 4 of 5
Big Ben is the bell, not the tower
The Great Bell first rang out over Westminster in 1859. The tower itself is the Elizabeth Tower.
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2012 — fact 5 of 5
London has hosted the Olympics three times
1908, 1948 and 2012 — no other city has hosted the summer Games more often.
See what 2012 was like →
Our London collection is part of a growing local-history library — more cities and facts are being added.