40+ Before-and-After Pics Showing How These Amazing Cities Changed Over Time
Bangkok, Thailand
Sawadee Krap! Welcome to Thailand, the Land of Smiles. The ancient city of Bangkok began as two small trading posts — Thonburi and Rattanakosin — during the 15th century Ayutthaya Kingdom. Siam avoided colonization but the late 20th Century Asian investment boom transformed the cityscape into an intoxicating mix of new and old as Bangkok expanded to 10 million inhabitants.
Today, Bangkok still hosts many beautiful ancient wats (temples) and smiling vendors selling delicious street food on its loveable, vibrant, polluted, traffic-jammed streets.
Times Square, New York City, USA
Few parts of the Big Apple have changed as much as this beloved thoroughfare. Originally named Longacre Square, Times Square began life as a small, old-timey village and became the center of NYC’s horse carriage industry thanks to William Henry Vanderbilt’s American Horse Exchange.
He set it up with his $100 million inheritance. Nice work, if you can get it! It was renamed when a new-fangled subway station was built in the late 1800s. Nowadays, Times Square and the adjacent Broadway theater district attract millions of visitors, especially on New Year’s Eve.
Tokyo, Japan
Tokyo began life as a small fishing village called Edo, which became the Eastern Capital in 1868. This first photo seems to show Japan’s capital city laid bare after a Godzilla attack or after the city was leveled by the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake. But, it actually comes from 1945, specifically from raids during World War II.
Fast forward to today, and Tokyo is one of the most culture-shocking, futuristic cities in the world. Its mind-bogglingly massive metropolitan area is home to 37 million residents.
Central London, UK
Can you believe William the Conqueror built the Tower of London over a thousand years ago in 1078 AD? The modern Tower Bridge was added in 1886, but much of London has changed since this 1920 photo. In fact, the UK capital has changed a lot in the last 20 years.
Dozens of 21st Century skyscrapers like the pointy glass Shard building have transformed the famous skyline beside the River Thames. As for the tall buildings in the background of the color photo, that’s Canary Wharf.
Have you ever imagined what the world’s most famous cities used to look like in the old days? In the last hundred years, architecture, technology, town planning, and transport have changed our metropolises. So, join us as we hop in our time machine and travel back through the years on a globe-hopping adventure to see how our cities have grown and evolved beyond recognition.