London’s underground network is the oldest in the world: it was opened to the public in 1863, following three years of hugely difficult work, an impressive feat for the time. When 38,000 people climbed into the trains on that first day, some of the carriages didn’t even have a roof, and they were still pulled by steam engines. This meant that the smoke was at times overwhelming, and gas lamps were still used for lighting in corridors and stations.
Christian Wolmar’s educational video for TED-Ed explains how the first underground network in the world was built, and includes some interesting details, such as that the people at the time complained of having the city perforated, and a local minister accused the company of “trying to break into hell”.
