Moreover, around 40% of the city’s surface is made up of green space or open water. Eventually, civil engineer Joseph Bazalgette proposed a sewage system that put a stop to the Great Stink and the cholera outbreak that plagued London. It was in almost continuous use for the imprisonment of traitors and other important prisoners up until the end of World War II. Because London is famous for its high-rise buildings and busy streets full of cars, it’s a bit far-fetched to think that this city is a forest. 50 Impressive Facts About Shanghai The Magic City Of China, When in London, a popular way to get around is through riding a black cab or London taxi. For this test, they’re required to know every major place in London, every single street, as well as the fastest possible routes to get there. But the first recorded execution was that of Sir Simon Burley in 1388. Destroying around 70,000 homes in the City of London, it’s no secret that the Great Fire of London was one of London’s greatest tragedies. Charged with adultery, incest and conspiring the king’s death, Anne was beheaded on a scaffold erected on Tower Green, within the walls of the Tower of London. Standing on the north bank of the River Thames in London, the Tower of London was erected as part of the Norman Conquest of England. Securing the rights to Peter Pan made this children’s hospital entitled to the royalties from performances and publications of Peter Pan. . This is around twice the equivalent distance of the circumference of the, Although the London Underground mosquito (. ) In 1997, convicted murderer Pedro Medina was placed in a Florida electric chair, but his execution did not go smoothly. The, One of London’s nicknames, the “Big Smoke,” originates from the Great Smog of London in 1952. Because conquering it would largely mean conquering the whole country, the Tower of London is historically significant. To the Western eye, Thai names are hopelessly complicated, and “Ginggaew Lorsoungnern” is certainly no exception. In recent research, archaeologists found artifacts of human settlements dating back to the Neolithic period and the Bronze Age. Some historians believe that the death count could have been higher, but the fire may have destroyed the other bodies. Inmates at the prison claimed they could smell his burning flesh for days after he was killed. This small brick-paved monument marks the site of the infamous scaffold at Tower Hill. The whole Southwark stretch of the river between London and Tower Bridges was marked for development in the 1980s, and by 1986 “Number 1 London” had been constructed. The name Big Ben officially refers to the bell inside the tower, and not the tower itself. Top. Executions at London's Tyburn 1695 -1783 – full list English & Welsh executions by circuit 1735 - 1799 Being hanged at Tyburn Executions at the Tower of London In July and August 1858, Central London suffered the “Great Stink.” The intense summer heat caused the stench from the sewage in the River Thames to worsen. After Wren’s death, he was entombed inside the cathedral. It wasn’t until the London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) painted all of its buses red to make it stand out from other bus companies. But because executioners forgot to remove the 200-pound sandbag that was used to test the gallows before hanging Ketchum, the rope was especially tight. This is what it’s looking at (photo below) – a Pizza Hut! It took him 35 years to complete St. Paul’s Cathedral, making several improvements to the design during the course of the cathedral’s construction. However, one of the most interesting London facts is that only six death were verified during the Great Fire. Although she was guilty of nothing, she was arrested for treason placed in the Tower of London for over two years before finally facing a public execution—at the hands of an axe-wielding man with extremely bad aim. London is a polycentric city, with various core districts of around equal importance. However, in more common usage, the name also extends to the tower. As of 2018, London had a population of 8,961,989 people, making it the third most populous city in Europe. . Patrons can even board a specially-made miniature train to tour the tunnels! The definitive downfall of Henry VIII's advisor Thomas Cromwell is chronicled in the anticipated final novel in Hilary Mantel's Wolf Hall trilogy, The Mirror and the Light. Regardless of how one feels about the death penalty, only armchair sadists would agree that it’s justified for the government to torture murderers with the same lack of compassion that the murderers used to kill their victims—after all, we’re taught very early in life that “two wrongs don’t make a right.”. Immediately after the execution, Arizona replaced the gallows with the gas chamber as their preferred mode of execution. The Great Plague of London lasted from 1665 to 1666, as the last outbreak of the bubonic plague. Sign up for the Thought Catalog Weekly and get the best stories from the week to your inbox every Friday. The West End of London is a major district for shopping and entertainment, making it one of the main tourist hotspots in the city. 1000 Invasion of England, 1066. Rudolf Hess in the Tower of London Rudolf Hess parachuted into Scotland on the 10 th of May, and was bought to the Tower 17 th May 1941, he remained here for three days. Despite various police forces and private organizations working together, Jack the Ripper remained at large and left the Whitechapel murders unsolved to this day. The earliest known prisoner was Ranulf Flambard in 1100 who,[1] as Bishop of Durham, was found guilty of extortion. Like many another so-called Scottish noble family, the Frasers were in fact Norman-French. The Tower of London Of course, this is a theory that can never be proven. London’s most popular tourist attractions include the British Museum, Buckingham Palace, the Tower Bridge, and Big Ben. A 22-foot-tall (6.7 m) vat of beer burst and destroyed large barrels of beer, resulting in a huge flood. Every evening, the world’s oldest extant military ceremony takes place in the Tower of London as the Tower officers lock the main gate for the night. The tradition of having at least six Tower ravens dates back to the Victorian era, with the earliest known record of the six ravens dating back to 1883. London has the highest concentration of higher education institutes (such as colleges and universities) in Europe. A. Milne went on to write about the adventures of Christopher Robin and Winnie-the-Pooh. However, the Queen follows the tradition of announcing her arrival to the Lord Mayor before entering the City. In some early cases the place of execution is not stated or cannot be confirmed. More than 100 people were put to death at the Tower during its 900-year history, and countless others were imprisoned or tortured there. Dedicated to your stories and ideas. When it come to the arrival of Hess at the Tower, there seemed to be more than one story, The Chief Yeoman Warder Cook DCM, MM, BEM, wrote in his manuscript, “that an eye witness at time had reported”. Historically, the Royal Observatory played an important role in astronomy and navigation. Paramount Rotten Tomatoes score: 98%. Aussie singles get hitched to spouses who they see for the first time on their wedding day Oftentimes, when tourists think of London, they imagine a gloomy city where it’s constantly raining. A two part building complex with a 13 storey tower adjacent to London Bridge and a smaller 10 storey section on the site of Topping’s Wharf. Interestingly, the tower’s official name is quite a mouthful: Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London. In 1982 he finally was strapped into an electric chair. On the one hand it was a luxurious royal palace with sumptuous apartments. If the last few thousand years of human history have shown us to be good at one thing, it’s the art of … Capital punishment in the 18th & 19th centuries. From around 1831 to 1925, London was the world’s largest city. When the system first opened in 1863, its trains were steam-powered. The second jolt was also so intense that it caused both of Coppola’s legs to burst into flames. This story is amazingly similar to that of Tom Ketchum’s in that it happened in the Southwest in the late 1800s and involved a botched hanging that decapitated the victim. However, other historians suggest that the name stems from Celtic origins. Have you ever wondered what it’s looking at? Its residents are often referred to as “Londoners”. During World War I, the Canadian soldier and veterinarian Lt. Harry Colebourn bought a young black bear cub from a trapper in Ontario, Canada. Its population is notably diverse, together speaking more than 300 languages. According to a census in 2011, more than a third of Londoners were actually foreign-born. Latest breaking news, including politics, crime and celebrity. Back in the late 1800s, Tom “Black Jack Ketchum” was a classic Old West outlaw, part of a posse that robbed and killed its way across New Mexico and Texas. While London is quite a big city, the City of London only spans around 1.2 square miles. Before officially earning their licenses as black cab drivers, they have to pass an extremely difficult test, ominously called, The Great Plague of London lasted from 1665 to 1666, as the last outbreak of the bubonic plague. Sentenced to die in a Mississippi gas chamber, it took nearly eight minutes to kill Gray—during which witnesses had to be cleared from the room after he began moaning and smashing his head against a steel pole inside the gas chamber. During the Blitz in World War II, the people of London made around 600,000 metal stretchers to carry injured and dying Air Raid Protection (ARP) officers. The local legend states that King Charles II ordered for the placement of six ravens in the Tower of London to protect it. Interestingly, it was not the first big Ferris wheel in London. With tens of thousands of people dying from the plague back then, it’s no surprise that mass graves or “plague pits” exist in various parts of London. Treated his wife appallingly but as a grown man of over 30 years and crowned a king needed his mothers rooms next to his still and she would see him to bed at night (basically tucking him in). However, the IV needle that had been placed in Landry’s arm exploded, spraying the lethal fluids toward witnesses. I saw his body turn from red to purple.”. You may unsubscribe at any time. On the other hand it also held as prisoner those who were traitors or a serious threat to national securrity. This is around twice the equivalent distance of the circumference of the Earth, which is 24,901 mi (40,075 km)! London sits in the southeastern region of England. "The Two Princes Edward and Richard in the Tower," painted in 1878 by Sir John Everett Millais, now part of the Royal Holloway collection at the University of London. If you’re a fan of orchestral music, then London is certainly the place to be. 2. The summer of 1535 was one of the bloodiest of King Henry VIII’s reign. However, it probably would be best not to run straight into it. Unlike death in Parliament, this law is not a myth. How’s that for fascinating London facts? Jakobs's execution took place at the miniature rifle range in the grounds of the Tower of London on 15 August 1941. It took two more jolts and a total of 14 minutes before Evans was finally dead. Although she was guilty of nothing, she was arrested for treason placed in the Tower of London for over two years before finally facing a public execution—at the hands of an axe-wielding man with extremely bad aim. Many regard the 18th-century cathedral as the masterpiece of the renowned architect and scientist Christopher Wren. This scandalous historical past of the hospital inspired many horror films, books, and TV series. TREATS OF THE PLACE WHERE OLIVER TWIST WAS BORN AND OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES ATTENDING HIS BIRTH . These ravens are free to roam the tower grounds and even receive special care under the Yeoman Warder Ravenmaster. One of the London facts that sports fans have to know is that the city was the first to host the modern Olympic Games three times. London’s total gross value added (GVA) in 2018 was £487 billion ($624 billion). He was tied and blindfolded in a brown Windsor chair . Sir Walter Raleigh One of the longest-serving prisoners of the Tower of London was the famed Sir Walter Raleigh, who was confined to the citadel for … This is certainly one of the London facts that serve as a testament to the city’s amazing diversity. The Tower of London also served as a prison and execution ground during the First and Second World Wars. Over the years, the city hosted the Olympic Games in 1908, 1948, and 2012. Three Egyptian obelisks share the name “Cleopatra’s Needle,” and each of them stand in New York City, Great Britain, especially London, had a Gin Craze in the first half of the 18th century. Two days later on the morning of the 19 th of May, Anne accompanied by her female attendants, made her final walk from the Queen’s House and was led to the scaffold. Dating back to the Middle Ages, the. The Tower Of London has seen some grisly goings-on in its time (Picture: Getty/HBO) WARNING: Contains some gruesome images and details of torture Game Of Thrones has a … Urban sprawl encroached first by Regent's Canal in 1816 and in the 1840s by the railroad. On average, London is home to around 10,000 red foxes that roam the city’s streets. While used in many languages, the origins of the word remain unclear. and 4,500 B.C.E. The Great Fire of London occurred in 1666, just as the Great Plague was in decline. He was indeed alive and started groaning loudly. In 1878, the University of London became the first in the UK to open and grant its degrees to women. Among the more confusing London facts is that London differs from the City of London. During the Gin Craze, gin consumption skyrocketed and led to an epidemic of drunkenness among Londoners. Since 2017, a part of the Mail Rail in Phoenix Place, London has been open for public viewing as the Postal Museum. It houses the National Maritime Museum and the Royal Greenwich Observatory. 15 May 1649 ... Monmouth was captured and executed at the Tower of London. Many believe that the Great Fire that devastated the City of London ended the lives of the disease-spreading rats in the city and consequently put an end to the plague. They welded the stretchers together to form fences that now stand mostly in South London. After she was dead, Coppola and accomplices absconded with over $3,000 and some jewelry from the crime scene. Aside from fish and chips and tea, London boasts centuries’ worth of rich history and culture. How’s that for cool London facts? Find stories, updates and expert opinion. A major, Another one of the most interesting London facts is that the Tower of London was once home to many exotic animals, including a, On October 17, 1814, the London Beer Flood occurred because of an accident at Meux & Co’s Horse Shoe Brewery, London. In the past, people referred to the tower as the “Clock Tower.” Its official name was then changed to “Elizabeth Tower” in 2012, marking the  Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II. When mail became less popular, however, the system had to shut down. This list may not reflect recent changes ().B Arthur Elphinstone, 6th Lord Balmerino Christopher Blount Anne Boleyn Held the young boy Edward of Warwick (a York heir) in basically solitary confinement in the tower of London until he lost his mind. It is also the United Kingdom’s largest city. In fact, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) officially listed this site as a World Heritage Site in 2003. Although it’s one of the most-visited tourist attractions in London, the interior of the Elizabeth Tower isn’t open to overseas visitors. Witnesses said they smelled smoke and burning flesh, and after the third jolt, Evans’s dead body was left “charred and smoldering.”. However, the city is not as rainy as most would think. If you’re a fan of the fantasy novels and films of Harry Potter, this is certainly one of the London facts you can’t miss. The Shard overtook One Canada Square, which has been the tallest building in the UK from 1990 to 2012. Sentenced to die by lethal injection for the fatal shooting of a Texas restaurant owner, Raymond Landry was led into a room and injected with fatal chemicals on December 13, 1988. To build the streets and various structures in the metropolis of London, people had to cover some tributaries of the River Thames and River Lea. Among the many functions of the Tower of London, its use as a prison is one of the most notable ones. Pages in category "Executions at the Tower of London" The following 57 pages are in this category, out of 57 total. On January 2nd, 1869, less than a month after its installment, one of the gas lines had sustained a leak. Sentenced to the gas chamber in Arizona in 1992, Donald Lee Harding endured an agonizing 10 minutes while violently struggling against his restraining straps before he finally succumbed. As a result, the sunlight could even melt parts of a car parked nearby and damage parts of a shop in the vicinity. It took him 35 years to complete St. Paul’s Cathedral, making several improvements to the design during the course of the cathedral’s construction. If you’re wondering whether or not the Parliament is in session, all you’d have to do is look at the good old Clock Tower. London Zoo, the world’s first public zoo, opened in London on April 27, 1828. He was finally arrested and sentenced to death by hanging in Clayton, NM. I heard him gasp and moan. The copyright first expired 50 years after Barrie’s death, but the government of the UK granted the hospital a perpetual right to the royalties from all performances and publications of Peter Pan. However, Bedford College opened its doors to, One of the most important London facts you have to remember before you visit is that the iconic clock tower attached to the Palace of Westminster is not the. This made the construction of the train station quite complicated, because the site served as the burial ground of around 1,000 corpses. In total, The City Corporation ended up killing around 40,000 dogs and 200,000 cats. That said, it comes second only to New York City in the entire world. First enacted in 1313, this law prohibits wearing armor to all Parliaments, Treatises and other Assemblies in London. This compares to 5.4% for the gas chamber, 3% for hanging, and just under 2% for the electric chair. The Tower of London was built shortly after William the Conqueror landed in 1066. Submit your writing to be published on Thought Catalog. Each year, the city only gets around 583.6 millimeters of precipitation. During the height of WW2, London proved to be a safe haven for various governments in exile. Learn more about one of the world’s most popular destinations with these amazing London facts. His son even placed a dedication to him nearby, stating, “, Every evening, the world’s oldest extant military ceremony takes place in the Tower of London as the Tower officers lock the main gate for the night. EC3, Tower Green, Tower of London Members of royalty sentenced to death were spared the ordeal of public execution on Tower Hill . Your email address will not be published. The Greater London area is home to four of these World Heritage Sites. On the contrary, anyone who dies in a Royal Palace is eligible for a state funeral. His son even placed a dedication to him nearby, stating, “Reader, if you seek his monument, look around you.”. Read also: 50 Amazing Venice Facts About This Beautiful Canal City. This earned her a lot of fans — most notably, Christopher Robin Milne, the inspiration for the character Christopher Robin. Winnie went with Colebourn all the way to England, with Colebourn deciding to put her in the custody of the London Zoo before leaving for France. 585 The Vikings Discover America, ca. Headed by the Lord Mayor of the City of London, this local authority also provides its police force. Popularly known as the Walkie Talkie building, this structure at 20 Fenchurch Street certainly has a unique shape. Towering at 1,016 ft (310 m) tall with 72 habitable floors and an observation deck, The Shard is definitely a must-see. An “inadvertent human error” involving the use of a synthetic sponge rather than a natural sponge was blamed for the error, but in the first two attempts to kill Tafero, witnesses said they saw flames erupting from Tafero’s head. The name Big Ben officially refers to the bell inside the tower, and not the tower itself. Spelled with a capital C, the City of London describes a, Among the first in the United Kingdom to grant higher education rights to women, London is quite a progressive place. This caused the traffic light to explode, injuring the police officer operating it. According to witnesses, the spectacle was brutal: “Before he was pronounced dead … the blood from his mouth had poured onto the collar of his white shirt, and the blood on his chest had spread to about the size of a dinner plate, even oozing through the buckle holes on the leather chest strap holding him to the chair.” A Florida state senator who viewed the execution photos said that the blood eventually formed the shape of a cross, which she took as a sign that God had approved of the execution. Read also: 80 Fascinating Tokyo Facts You Never Knew. One popular explanation comes from Geoffrey of Monmouth’s 1136 publication, Historia Regum Britanniae. This site is full of the history of horrible deeds done to people. However, the city is not as rainy as most would think. William the Conqueror started the ball rolling for this long-time military stronghold, which remained as such until the 19th century. There is another popular myth about London that states that the Great Fire put an end to the Great Plague. This trapped the air inside London, exacerbating the effects of the smog. One of the widely-misquoted London facts is a myth that states how it’s illegal to die in the Parliament Houses in London. Seeking ways to send mail faster, officials of the Royal Mail opened the Post Office Railway system or “Mail Rail.” At its height, it shuttled 4 million pieces of mail in a day. A domestic maid for an elite Bangkok family, she kidnapped the family’s six-year-old son and delivered him to a gang that held him for ransom. Commissioned in 1078 by William the Conqueror, the Tower of London is one of the most messed up places in the history of England's messed up places. The Tower of London was once a symbol of royal power which housed weapons and was even where the Royal Mint made money. During this period, the Thames largely held untreated sewage. These individuals each have a net worth of more than 30 million US dollars. What’s a list of London facts without a dose of its more mysterious and dark history? 38. According to one observer, “A crown of foot-high flames shot from the headpiece during the execution, filling the execution chamber with a stench of thick smoke and gagging the two dozen official witnesses.” The power was temporarily switched off, but Medina kept writhing and burning until he finally died. Especially during the 16th and 17th centuries, the Tower’s prison inspired the phrase “sent to the Tower.” Its most prominent prisoners during this period were Elizabeth Throckmorton, Sir Walter Raleigh, and even Elizabeth I before she became queen. Christopher Robin Milne even named his teddy bear “Winnie the Pooh.” Eventually, his father, A. During his 40-year reign, he tried his hardest to emulate Khan, destroying cities, killing tens of thousands, and sending spies into the enemy camp to spread rumors about his vicious exploits. We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. Tower Green is a space within the Tower of London, a royal castle in London, where two English Queens consort and several other British nobles were executed by beheading. Aside from the Tube, another old underground railway station operated in the early 20th century. 10 June 1688 Among the many functions of the Tower of London, its use as a prison is one of the most notable ones. From 2000 to 2006, it was the tallest Ferris wheel in the world, and still remains one of the most visited places in London to this day. Among London’s most-beloved piece of architecture is the St. Paul’s Cathedral on Ludgate Hill. Being the oldest metro system in the world, the London Underground has certainly gone through a lot of major changes. The first permanent scaffold was set up in 1465 during the reign of King Edward IV. One of the most iconic London facts is that the city has a lot of red double-decker buses that roam its streets. To learn more or change your settings, please see our cookie policy During the Great Plague, the City Corporation decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. By comparison, death by firing squad—once considered the most brutal and ineffective method of all—resulted in zero botched executions in the 34 times it was performed from 1890 to 2010. In fact, one such plague pit was found at the site of the Aldgate Underground Station. On the morning of 19 May 1536, Henry VIII’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, became the first English queen to be publicly executed. Frank Coppola was a Virginia cop who was sentenced to death for the 1978 murder of his girlfriend, during which he repeatedly slammed her head in the floor. The palace holds most of the important state occasions and is often the center of national celebrations and mourning. The Bethlem Royal Hospital, or more popularly, Bedlam, is a psychiatric hospital that housed people with mental illnesses. Nonetheless, Bundy is suspected by police of being one of the worst mass murderers in U.S. history, responsible for a trail of up to 36 young women victims, spanning four years and four states. Although the City of London lies within the metropolis of London, it acts quite differently from the 32 boroughs of London. Across the globe, it serves as the basis for the Prime Meridian. Although some scientists believe that the London Underground mosquito is its own distinct species, more recent studies show that it’s just a subspecies of the Culex pipiens mosquito. Because it’s such an iconic part of London, tourists often mistakenly call it the “London Bridge.” In actuality, the subject of the well-known nursery rhyme looks quite plain in comparison to the Tower Bridge. But examiners found that his heart was still beating. Police officers had to manually turn the lamps to face the appropriate direction. This is because London has six major orchestras — The BBC Symphony Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra, The Royal Philharmonic, The London Philharmonic, the Philharmonia, and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. He told officials that if released, he would kill again. These foxes aren’t too shy around humans, and may sometimes live in people’s backyards. The flood unleashed around 154,000 to 388,000 gallons (580,000 – 1,470,000 L) of beer within the vicinity, killing eight people. In front of about 150 onlookers, the executioner hacked at her a total of 11 times before finally decapitating her. Another popular rumor claims that it’s illegal for commoners to die in a Royal Palace, but this is also a myth. J. M. Barrie gave the rights to his Peter Pan works to the Great Ormond Street Hospital in 1929. Established in 1840, Kew Gardens houses more than 50,000 species of plants and fungi. The worst part of my Giza trip was the Sphinx. These 13 cases involve some of the most gruesome examples of public execution gone wrong in world history. A list of the worst botched executions of history. However, Bedford College opened its doors to women in higher education earlier than that. This means that rainy weather would be more likely in Barcelona, New York City, Paris, and even Sydney. If you can’t picture that, this death toll makes up a sixth to almost a quarter of London’s entire, During the Great Plague, the City Corporation decided that desperate times called for desperate measures. If you’re ever planning to enter the Houses of Parliament in a full suit of armor, it’s best to think twice before doing so. It had semaphore arms, as well as red and green gas lamps for night-time use. Because Winnie was a gentle and tame bear, children even got to feed her and ride on her back. Last execution at the Tower of London: German spy shot in 1941 It conjures images of Anne Boleyn and medieval torture but the last execution at the Tower of London … *, As the home of the Big Ben, the London Eye, and St. Paul’s Cathedral, London is certainly a stunning place to behold. A collection of history and stories associated with the Tower of London. Tower of Skulls. Each year, the city only gets around 583.6 millimeters of precipitation. Today, most of these underground rivers serve important functions in the city’s sewer system. Image Credit: Carlos Delgado ( CC BY SA 3.0 ) The Tower of London isn’t one of England’s most aesthetically pleasing structures as William insisted that this building exude military power and domination. Three Egyptian obelisks share the name “Cleopatra’s Needle,” and each of them stand in New York City, Paris, and London. The stated reason for the payment was to retain space in the hotel should Donald Trump decide to sleep there. The light actually was quite effective in controlling traffic, but its life was short. After one strong jolt, officials assumed Kemmler was dead, only to realize that he was still bleeding from his hands and mouth, indicating that his heart was still pumping.