Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Romans founded Londinium around AD 47, just four years after their invasion of Britain in AD 43. This settlement was established on the south bank of the River Thames following the discovery of a Bronze Age bridge dating between 1750 and 1285 BC. Londinium eventually superseded Colchester as the principal city of the Roman province of Britannia by 100.
The Great Fire of London broke out in 1666 in Pudding Lane and raged for four days, destroying thousands of homes and churches including the medieval St Paul's Cathedral. Rebuilding took over 10 years and was supervised by Robert Hooke and Christopher Wren, who designed a new city of stone and brick. Wren's masterpiece, St Paul's Cathedral, was completed in 1710 and remains a dominant feature of the London skyline.
The Black Death in the mid-14th century claimed nearly a third of London's population, reducing the city from nearly 100,000 people by 1300 to a fraction of its former size. This devastating plague hit London hard in the 1340s and led to a labor shortage that resulted in higher wages for workers. The social and economic changes following the plague culminated in the Peasants' Revolt of 1381.
On the 5th of November 1605, a group of Catholic conspirators led by Guy Fawkes attempted to blow up the House of Lords during the State Opening of Parliament. Fawkes was arrested in the cellar beneath the House of Lords where he was found guarding 36 barrels of gunpowder. This event became known as the Gunpowder Plot and is commemorated annually as Guy Fawkes Night.
The Blitz lasted from September 1940 to May 1941 and was a sustained bombing campaign by the Luftwaffe of Nazi Germany targeting London's industrial and residential areas. These attacks killed over 30,000 Londoners and destroyed large tracts of housing and other buildings across the city. The city's resilience during this period led to the development of new air defense technologies including radar and the establishment of the Royal Air Force.
On the 6th of July 2005, London was awarded the 2012 Summer Olympics, becoming the first city to stage the Olympic Games three times following the 1908 and 1948 games. The games were held in the Olympic Park which was built in the Lower Lea Valley and transformed from industrial land into a vibrant space. London ranks second in the world rankings on the Global Financial Centres Index and remains one of the major financial centers of the world.