London

===Late modern and contemporary===
With the onset of the [[Industrial Revolution]] in Britain, an unprecedented growth in [[urbanisation]] took place, and the number of [[High Street]]s (the primary street for retail in Britain) rapidly grew.<ref name="Sales">{{cite news |last1=White |first1=Matthew |title=The rise of cities in the 18th century |url=https://www.bl.uk/georgian-britain/articles/the-rise-of-cities-in-the-18th-century |access-date=11 June 2022 |agency=British Library |archive-date=22 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220522225623/https://www.bl.uk/georgian-britain/articles/the-rise-of-cities-in-the-18th-century |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite conference |title=Trends in urbanisation |year=1993|author=Christopher Watson|editor1=K.B. Wildey |editor2=Wm H. Robinson |conference=Proceedings of the First International Conference on Urban Pests |citeseerx=10.1.1.522.7409}}</ref> London was the world's [[List of largest cities throughout history|largest city]] from about 1831 to 1925, with a population density of 802 per acre (325 per hectare).<ref name="london_030">{{Cite web |title=London: The greatest city |url=http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/i-m/london4.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419104109/http://www.channel4.com/history/microsites/H/history/i-m/london4.html |archive-date=19 April 2009 |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=Channel 4}}</ref> In addition to the growing number of stores selling goods, such as [[Harding, Howell & Co.]]—one of the first [[department store]]s—located on [[Pall Mall, London|Pall Mall]], the streets had scores of [[Hawker (trade)|street seller]]s.<ref name="Sales"/> London's overcrowded conditions led to [[cholera]] epidemics, claiming 14,000 lives in 1848, and 6,000 in 1866.<ref>{{Cite web |author=Brown, Robert W. |url=http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/london_19c.html |title=London in the Nineteenth Century |publisher=University of North Carolina at Pembroke |access-date=13 December 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111230164544/http://www.uncp.edu/home/rwb/london_19c.html |archive-date=30 December 2011}}</ref> Rising [[traffic congestion]] led to the creation of the [[London Underground]], the world's first [[Rapid transit|urban rail network]].<ref>{{cite news |title=A short history of world metro systems – in pictures |url=https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2014/sep/10/-sp-history-metro-pictures-london-underground-new-york-beijing-seoul |access-date=3 March 2024 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> The [[Metropolitan Board of Works]] oversaw infrastructure expansion in the capital and some surrounding counties; it was abolished in 1889 when the [[London County Council]] was created out of county areas surrounding the capital.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Pennybacker |first1=Susan D. |title=Vision for London, 1889–1914 |date=2005 |publisher=Routledge |page=18}}</ref>

From the early years of the 20th century onwards, [[Tea in the United Kingdom#Tea rooms|teashops]] were found on High Streets across London and the rest of Britain, with [[J. Lyons and Co.|Lyons]], who opened the first of their [[Chain store|chain]] of teashops in [[Piccadilly]] in 1894, leading the way.<ref>{{cite news |title=Bawden and battenberg: the Lyons teashop lithographs |url=https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2013/jul/12/bawden-battenberg-lyons-teashops-lithographs |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=The Guardian}}</ref> The tearooms, such as the [[Criterion Restaurant|Criterion]] in Piccadilly, became a popular meeting place for women from the suffrage movement.<ref>{{cite news |title=Taking Tea and Talking Politics: The Role of Tearooms|url=https://historicengland.org.uk/research/inclusive-heritage/womens-history/suffrage/taking-tea-and-talking-politics/ |access-date=27 June 2022 |work=Historic England}}</ref> The city was the target of many attacks during the [[suffragette bombing and arson campaign]], between 1912 and 1914, which saw historic landmarks such as [[Westminster Abbey]] and [[St Paul's Cathedral]] bombed.<ref>{{cite web |title=Suffragettes, violence and militancy |url=https://www.bl.uk/votes-for-women/articles/suffragettes-violence-and-militancy |website=British Library |access-date=9 October 2021 |archive-date=10 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910203912/https://www.bl.uk/votes-for-women/articles/suffragettes-violence-and-militancy |url-status=dead }}</ref>

{{multiple image
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| align             = right
| width             = 220
| image1            = British recruits August 1914 Q53234.jpg
| caption1          = British volunteer recruits in London, August 1914, during [[World War I]]
| image2            = LondonBombedWWII full.jpg
| caption2          = A bombed-out London street during [[the Blitz]], [[World War II]]
}}

{{anchor|German air attacks}}London was [[German strategic bombing during World War I|bombed by the Germans]] in the [[First World War]], and during the [[Second World War]], [[the Blitz]] and other bombings by the German ''[[Luftwaffe]]'' killed over 30,000 Londoners, destroying large tracts of housing and other buildings across the city.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 May 2016 |title=Bomb-Damage Maps Reveal London's World War II Devastation |url=http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/history/bomb-damage-maps-reveal-londons-world-war-ii-devastation.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430155359/http://www.nationalgeographic.com.au/history/bomb-damage-maps-reveal-londons-world-war-ii-devastation.aspx |archive-date=30 April 2017 |access-date=18 June 2017 |website=nationalgeographic.com.au}}</ref> The tomb of [[the Unknown Warrior]], an unidentified member of the British armed forces killed during the First World War, was buried in Westminster Abbey on 11 November 1920.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nam.ac.uk/press/buried-among-kings-story-unknown-warrior |title=Buried Among Kings: The Story of the Unknown Warrior |website=Nam.ac.uk |publisher=National Army Museum |access-date=15 April 2023}}</ref> [[The Cenotaph]], located in [[Whitehall]], was unveiled on the same day, and is the focal point for the [[National Service of Remembrance]] held annually on [[Remembrance Sunday]], the closest Sunday to 11 November.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Vaughan-Barratt |first1=Nick |title=Remembrance |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/aboutthebbc/entries/0c66fc02-abf2-31e0-9867-cc306b16d3c9 |website=BBC Blogs |date=4 November 2009 |publisher=BBC |access-date=15 April 2023}}</ref>

The [[1948 Summer Olympics]] were held at the original [[Wembley Stadium (1923)|Wembley Stadium]], while London was still recovering from the war.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Ronk |first=Liz |date=27 July 2013 |title=LIFE at the 1948 London Olympics |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |url=http://time.com/3877686/1948-london-summer-olympics-life-photos/|url-status=dead |access-date=18 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150530005852/http://time.com/3877686/1948-london-summer-olympics-life-photos/ |archive-date=30 May 2015}}</ref> From the 1940s, London became home to many immigrants, primarily from [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]] countries such as Jamaica, India, Bangladesh and Pakistan,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Hibbert |first1=Christopher |title=The London Encyclopaedia |last2=Weinreb |first2=Ben |last3=Keay |first3=Julia |last4=Keay |first4=John |publisher=[[Pan Macmillan]] |others=Photographs by Matthew Weinreb |year=2010 |isbn=9781405049252 |edition=3rd |page=428}}</ref> making London one of the most diverse cities in the world. In 1951, the [[Festival of Britain]] was held on the [[South Bank]].<ref>{{Cite news |year=2008 |title=1951: King George opens Festival of Britain |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/may/3/newsid_2481000/2481099.stm |access-date=18 June 2017}}</ref> The [[Great Smog]] of 1952 led to the [[Clean Air Act 1956]], which ended the "[[pea soup fog]]s" for which London had been notorious, and had earned it the nickname the "Big Smoke".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breen |first=Matt |title=Most Googled: why is London called the 'Big Smoke'? |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/blog/most-googled-why-is-london-called-the-big-smoke-011317 |access-date=29 November 2022 |website=[[Time Out London]] |date=13 January 2017 |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Starting mainly in the mid-1960s, London became a centre for worldwide [[youth culture]], exemplified by the [[Swinging London]] sub-culture associated with the [[King's Road]], [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]] and [[Carnaby Street]].<ref>{{cite book | title=Swinging City: A Cultural Geography of London 1950–1974 | publisher=Routledge | author=Rycroft, Simon | year=2016 | pages=87 | chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I5O1CwAAQBAJ&pg=PT87 | chapter=Mapping Swinging London| isbn=9781317047346 }}</ref> The role of trendsetter revived in the [[punk rock|punk]] era.<ref>{{Cite book |author=Bracken |first=Gregory B. |title=Walking Tour London: Sketches of the city's architectural treasures... Journey Through London's Urban Landscapes |publisher=Marshall Cavendish International |year=2011 |isbn=9789814435369 |page=10}}</ref> In 1965 London's political boundaries were expanded in response to the growth of the urban area and a new [[Greater London Council]] was created.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-35716693 |title=The rise and fall of the GLC |last=Webber |first=Esther |date=31 March 2016 |website=BBC Newsmaccess-date=18 June 2017}}</ref> During [[The Troubles]] in Northern Ireland, London was hit from 1973 by bomb attacks by the [[Provisional Irish Republican Army]].<ref name=bombings/> These attacks lasted for two decades, starting with the [[Old Bailey bombing]].<ref name=bombings>>{{Cite web |last=Godoy |first=Maria |date=7 July 2005 |title=Timeline: London's Explosive History |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4734400 |access-date=25 March 2021 |publisher=NPR}}</ref> Racial inequality was highlighted by the [[1981 Brixton riot]].<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4854556.stm |title=The legacy of the Brixton riots |last=John |first=Cindi |date=5 April 2006 |publisher=BBC |access-date=18 June 2017}}</ref>

Greater London's population declined in the decades after the Second World War, from an estimated peak of 8.6&nbsp;million in 1939 to around 6.8&nbsp;million in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-london-31082941 |title=London's population hits 8.6m record high |work=BBC News |date=2 February 2015 |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref> The principal ports for London moved downstream to [[Port of Felixstowe|Felixstowe]] and [[Port of Tilbury|Tilbury]], with the [[London Docklands]] area becoming a focus for regeneration, including the [[Canary Wharf]] development. This was born out of London's increasing role as an international financial centre in the 1980s.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jan/28/canary-wharf-timeline-london-building-docklands-thatcher |title=Canary Wharf timeline: from the Thatcher years to Qatari control |last=Zolfagharifard |first=Ellie |date=14 February 2014 |website=The Guardian |access-date=19 June 2017}}</ref> Located about 2 miles (3&nbsp;km) east of central London, the [[Thames Barrier]] was completed in the 1980s to protect London against tidal surges from the [[North Sea]].<ref>{{cite journal |last=Kendrick |first=Mary |author-link=Mary Kendrick |date=1988 |title=The Thames Barrier |journal=Landscape and Urban Planning |volume=16 |issue=1–2 |pages=57–68|doi=10.1016/0169-2046(88)90034-5 }}</ref>

The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986, leaving London with no central administration until 2000 and the creation of the [[Greater London Authority]].<ref>{{Cite news |year=2008 |title=1986: Greater London Council abolished |publisher=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/31/newsid_2530000/2530803.stm |access-date=20 June 2017}}</ref> To mark the 21st century, the [[Millennium Dome]], [[London Eye]] and [[Millennium Bridge (London)|Millennium Bridge]] were constructed.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.building.co.uk/millennium-projects-10-years-of-good-luck/5001637.article |title=Millennium projects: 10 years of good luck |last=Ijeh |first=Ike |date=25 June 2010 |website=building.co.uk |access-date=20 June 2017}}</ref> On 6 July 2005 London was awarded the [[2012 Summer Olympics]], as the first city to stage the [[Olympic Games]] three times.<ref name="IOC"/> On 7 July 2005, three London Underground trains and a double-decker bus were bombed in a [[7 July 2005 London bombings|series of terrorist attacks]].<ref name=bombings/>

In 2008, ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' named London alongside New York City and Hong Kong as [[Nylonkong]], hailing them as the world's three most influential [[global cities]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=International Handbook of Globalization and World Cities |publisher=[[Edward Elgar Publishing]] |year=2015 |isbn=9781785360688 |editor-last=Derudder |editor-first=Ben |page=422 |editor-last2=Hoyler |editor-first2=Michael |editor-last3=Taylor |editor-first3=Peter J. |editor-last4=Witlox |editor-first4=Frank}}</ref> In January 2015, Greater London's population was estimated to be 8.63&nbsp;million, its highest since 1939.<ref name="gla-pop-2015">{{Cite web |title=Population Growth in London, 1939–2015 |url=http://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/resource/0a026346-960e-49e6-b968-a386d2cfe55f |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150219160246/http://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/resource/0a026346-960e-49e6-b968-a386d2cfe55f |archive-date=19 February 2015 |url-status=dead |website=London Datastore |publisher=Greater London Authority |access-date=7 July 2015}} [https://londondatastore-upload.s3.amazonaws.com/dataset/population-change-1939-2015/historical%20population%201939-2015.pdf Alt URL]</ref> During the [[2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum|Brexit referendum]] in 2016, the UK as a whole decided to leave the [[European Union]], but most London constituencies voted for remaining.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chandler |first=Mark |date=24 June 2016 |title='Wouldn't you prefer to be President Sadiq?' Thousands call on Sadiq Khan to declare London's independence and join EU |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/wouldnt-you-prefer-to-be-president-sadiq-thousands-back-campaign-for-sadiq-khan-to-declare-londons-a3280141.html |access-date=25 March 2021 |website=[[Evening Standard]] |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108104206/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/wouldnt-you-prefer-to-be-president-sadiq-thousands-back-campaign-for-sadiq-khan-to-declare-londons-a3280141.html |archive-date= 8 November 2020 }}</ref> However, Britain's [[Brexit|exit from the EU]] in early 2020 only marginally weakened London's position as an international financial centre.<ref>{{cite web |title=London as a Financial Center Since Brexit: Evidence from the 2022 BIS Triennial Survey |url=https://www.bu.edu/gdp/2022/12/16/london-as-a-financial-center-since-brexit-evidence-from-the-2022-bis-triennial-survey/ |website=Boston University Global Development Policy Center  |date=16 December 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230927094017/https://www.bu.edu/gdp/2022/12/16/london-as-a-financial-center-since-brexit-evidence-from-the-2022-bis-triennial-survey/ |archive-date= 27 September 2023 }}</ref>

On 6 May 2023, the [[Coronation of Charles III and Camilla|coronation of Charles III]] and his wife, Camilla, as king and queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, took place at [[Westminster Abbey]], London.<ref>{{cite web |title=The Coronation Weekend |url=https://www.royal.uk/coronation-weekend |website=The Royal Family |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240115070223/https://www.royal.uk/coronation-weekend |archive-date= 15 January 2024 }}</ref>