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London

"Oh, hello. I didn't see you there. I was just catching up on my latest diary entry."

Samuel Pepys Was England’s First Blogger

The famed blogger—okay, diarist—told historians so much about 17th-century daily life in England, but he could have told us so much more

When Londoners worried about losing their jobs in 1517, they turned against foreigners.

On Evil May Day, Londoners Rioted Over Foreigners Stealing Their Jobs

It’s been 500 years since London’s artisans turned a festival into a rampage

This historic map shows London in the 18th century.

Stanford Researchers Map the Feelings Associated With Different Parts of London

The university’s Literary Lab combed British novels from the 18th and 19th centuries to determine if areas elicited happiness or fear

Men smoke pipes and drink on the London streets. Booth's police notebooks reveal the everyday habits of Londoners.

Cool Finds

Explore the Seedy Reality of a London Long Gone

Charles Booth explored the poorest parts of England’s capital—and changed the way social scientists think about the world

Secrets of the Tower of London

Before it was a popular tourist attraction, the Tower of London was, well, just about everything else

Suspected 1665 Great Plague pit unearthed at Crossrail Liverpool Street site

DNA from 17th-Century Teeth Confirms Cause of London’s Great Plague

Skeletons excavated from a mass grave during London’s Crossrail project yield new clues about the ancient mystery

Oil painting of the Great Fire, seen from Newgate.

History of Now

The Great Fire of London Was Blamed on Religious Terrorism

Why scores of Londoners thought the fire of 1666 was all part of a nefarious Catholic conspiracy

Piccadilly Circus, circa 1949.

Cool Finds

Tour the London of Yore With a Gigantic New Photo Map

The London Picture Map brings an old city to new life

Cool Finds

Give Me a Drink, HAL: Artificial Intelligence Helps Design New Beer

IntelligenceX uses AI to guide its brewmaster’s tweaks

An illustration of the Tate Modern's new Switch House expansion.

Trending Today

The Expanded Tate Modern Opens Its Doors Friday

The museum is being called the UK’s most important new cultural building since the British Library

An artist's rendering of the 3-D Triumphal Arch in London

Trending Today

Palmyra Arch Destroyed by ISIS Rises Again in Central London

Using 3-D photos and computer guided stonecutters, researchers recreated the Triumphal Arch destroyed by the terrorist group last year

The Grand Entrance Hall to the Thames Tunnel has been restored and reopened to the public.

Cool Finds

Historic Sites of the London Underground Will Soon Open for Visitors

See Churchill’s blitz bunker and the first underwater tunnel ever built

This Tube is full of mosquitoes.

Cool Finds

The London Underground Has Its Own Mosquito Subspecies

Take a bite out of this strange evolutionary example

This fresco would have been the height of fashion among residents of Roman London.

Cool Finds

Archaeologists Discovered a Roman Fresco Beneath the Streets of London

This ornate, hand-painted wall was once considered to be the height of fashion in Londinium

Keeper Jessica Jones with Lamas and Alpacas during the annual animal stocktake at ZSL London Zoo, UK.

Trending Today

The London Zoo Is Making its Annual Headcount This Week

Ensuring every animal is present and accounted for

Cool Finds

Pink Gumdrops Are Solving a Sticky Crisis in London

The receptacles are part of the world’s first chewing gum recycling program

Trending Today

Big Ben is Running Fast

Or is it slow?

New lanes on London's Regents Canal urge human bikers, runners and walkers to break for ducklings.

Cool Finds

London Adds Special Lanes for Ducks

A city charity has painted pathways for waddlers on Regents Canal walkways

New Research

London’s Congestion Pricing Plan Is Saving Lives

By charging $17.34 for a trip downtown during peak hours, London has reduced traffic fatalities by 40 percent

An aerial view shows the location of the culture and university district, a 4.5-acre triangular site, near the London Aquatics Centre, the former Olympic Stadium and the ArcelorMittal Orbit sculpture and observation tower.

The Smithsonian May Go for the Gold, Opening a Venue at London’s Olympic Grounds

The Smithsonian Regents give museum officials the thumbs-up to explore opening a new gallery in London and the mayor there says, “Welcome to our city”

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