Here are some fun and interesting facts about London which you may not know:
• Great Ormond Street Hospital, owns the copyright to Peter Pan and receives royalties from all works and performances in relation to it. Author J.M. Barrie who had no children himself gifted the rights to the hospital in 1929.
• The people of Oslo, Norway present the Trafalgar Square Christmas tree each year in gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during World War 2.
• To get a London taxi license, you have to prove that you know every single street and landmark in London. It’s called “The Knowledge” and takes 2-4 years to memorize.
• There are over 300 languages spoken in London alone.
• London Zoo was the home to the world’s most famous bear, Winnie the Pooh. Winnie was given to the zoo by a Canadian regiment who were called up to fight in France during the First World War. Winnie lived at ZSL London Zoo from 1914 until 1934 during which author AA Milne brought his son, Christopher Robin Milne, to see Winnie. She quickly became Christopher Robin’s favourite animal at the zoo.
• London Underground transports three million people a day but only three babies are known to have ever been born on the tube.
• London was not always called London. Before settling in on the name ‘London’, it had a series of names – Londonium, Ludenwic, and Ludenburg!
• In UK, drivers drive on the left side of the road. But there is one road in London where drivers can drive only on the right side. The Savoy Hotel, one of the most famous hotels in London, requires drivers to drive on the right-hand side of the road.
• Because of large number of trees, according to a UN definition, London can be classified as a forest.
• Before 1980 all banks had to be within 30 minutes’ walking distance from the Bank of England, so that in a crisis, a director of any bank could show up at the Governor’s office within half an hour.
• Original Ideas for the London Underground included a Series of Underground Rivers Where People could Float on Barges.
• London is the Largest City in Europe.
• The Shard is Made from over 11,000 Panes of Glass.
