times. It was the first city in the world to reach a population of more than one million,

in 1811. London remained the largest city in the world until 1957, when its population

was surpassed by Tokyo, Japan. From the iconic Tower of London to the Palace of Westminster, here

are some of the most fascinating facts about London.

Did you know that London buses were not always red? Before 1907, different routes had different-colored

buses. One bus company, the London General Omnibus Company, painted their fleet of buses

red in order to stand out from the competition. When London Transport was eventually formed

as a single company in 1933, red was already the predominant color, so all buses in the

Greater London area became red. The world’s first traffic light, a gas lantern

that was manually turned by a traffic police officer, was built outside the House of Commons

in 1868. Although it was said to be successful at controlling traffic, it blew up the following

year, killing the policeman who was operating it.

This is not Big Ben. The name Big Ben is technically the nickname for the Great Bell of the clock

inside of the clock tower. The clock tower itself is called Elizabeth Tower. The name

Big Ben is often used, by extension, to refer to the clock, the tower, and the bell collectively,

but it is not universally accepted as referring to the clock and tower.

Royal navy ships entering the Port of London are still required by law to give a barrel

of rum or wine to the Constable of the Tower of London if they wish to enter. This tradition

dates all the way back to the 14th century. Today’s British accent first appeared among

London’s upper class around the time of the American Revolution. Before that time,

the British accent was similar to that of Americans.

In 1891, London built a structure that was

designed to surpass the Eiffel Tower in height. Unfortunately, the tower was unstable, so

designed to surpass the Eiffel Tower in height. Unfortunately, the tower was unstable, so

they abandoned the construction and demolished it in 1907. If you didn’t know these fascinating

facts before, now u know.