Tower Bridge is NOT London Bridge. This is important. London Bridge was sold to an American businessman in 1968 who shipped it stone by stone to Lake Havasu City, Arizona. There's a rumor he thought he was buying Tower Bridge, but that's probably just a fun myth.
Tower Bridge is the iconic drawbridge that opens to let tall ships through. It was built between 1886 and 1894 and used steam engines to raise the 1,000-ton bascules. Now it's electrified, but the original engines are on display and still work.
In 1952, a bus driver named Albert Gunter found himself on the bridge as it started to open. Rather than stop, he gunned it and jumped the 3-foot gap to the other side. He was awarded £10 for bravery. His laundry bill was probably higher.
The walkways between the towers, 140 feet above the river, were originally open so pedestrians could cross even when the bridge was raised. They became notorious gathering spots for prostitutes and pickpockets, so they were closed in 1910. Now they'
re a museum, significantly less scandalous.
