A closer look
Historical timelines are deeply weird when you overlap them. In 1863, while the United States was busy tearing itself apart with muskets and cannons at the Battle of Gettysburg, sophisticated Londoners were casually buying tickets for the Metropolitan Railway. They were riding steam-powered wooden train cars through gas-lit subterranean tunnels. It completely warps your perception of history to realize the concept of a morning subway commute predates the abolition of American slavery.
