Skip to main content

How the world's first metro system was built - Christian Wolmar

1,819,038 Views

20,129 Questions Answered

TEDEd Animation

Let’s Begin…

It was the dawn of 1863, and London's not-yet-opened subway system — the first of its kind in the world — had the city in an uproar. Most people thought the project, which cost more than 100 million dollars in today's money, would never work. So how did they do it? Christian Wolmar explains how the London Underground was built at a time when no one had built a railway under a city before.

What factors led to London becoming the site of the first subway?

Sign in to answer question

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Christian Wolmar
  • Director Biljana Labović
  • Script Editor Dan Kwartler
  • Animator Inna Phillimore
  • Designer Inna Phillimore
  • Sound Designer Stephen LaRosa
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott, Elizabeth Cox
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Fact-Checker Francisco Diez

More from Inventions that Shape History