• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Zippy Facts Logo

Zippy Facts

Interesting Random Facts

  • Animals
  • Culture
  • Firsts
  • Food
  • Geography
  • Health
  • History
  • Inventions
  • Language
  • Mythology
  • Odds
  • People
  • Religion
  • Science
  • Space
  • Universe
  • World
You are here: Home / Firsts / What was the First Subway in the World?

What was the First Subway in the World?

May 5, 2020 by Karen Hill

Many people think that the first subway in the world was built in New York City. But New York’s subway was actually the world’s sixth!

The world’s first subway was built in London, and opened in 1863. It was 31/4 miles long, and the cars were pulled by locomotives burning coal in the tunnels! London was the only city in the world with a subway until 1891, when a subway line was built in Glasgow, Scotland.

Boston was the first city in the U.S. to build a subway, opening its first line in 1897. New York’s first subway was opened in 1904. There are now more than 65 cities with rail lines that are at least in part underground.

The earliest subway cars had no windows, the designers didn’t think anyone would want to look out a window into a dark tunnel!

Related Facts

  • History of Subways
  • History of Streetcars
  • Who Invented the First Car and Where Did Cars Come From?
  • Top 25 Inventions That Changed the World
  • What Is The Longest Subway System In The World?
  • Where Is the World’s Largest Subway?

Filed Under: Firsts

About Karen Hill

Karen Hill is a freelance writer, editor, and columnist. Born in New York, her work has appeared in the Examiner, Yahoo News, Buzzfeed, among others.

Previous Post: « Where Did Origami Originate?
Next Post: When Was Air Conditioning Invented? »

Footer

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • GitHub
  • Google+
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Medium
  • Pinterest
  • StumbleUpon
  • Tumblr
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Categories

Accomplishments Animals Culture Firsts Food Geography Health History Inventions Language Mythology Odds People Religion Science Space Universe World Your Body

About

Zippy Facts empowers the world by serving educational content that is accessible to everyone.

A tribute to growing up, zippyfacts.com showcases interesting and unusual facts about the world.

Our mission is to use technology to facilitate knowledge transfer and sharing.

Copyright © 2020 Zippy Facts

  • About Us
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy