Video: see London's 40,000-year history retold in this mesmerising paper animation

Unlike some cities (we're looking at you, New York) – our city has a seriously long history behind it. And thanks to this lovely stop-motion paper animation by National Geographic, you can now brush up on 40,000 years of London history in under three minutes, without going anywhere near a dusty old textbook. It kicks off with the woolly mammoths and whizzes through the Viking invasion, the plague, the fire of London, the first ever Underground train and right through to the present day.

Watch the video:

All caught up on the past? Find out what London could be like in the future.