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Prior to European contact in the 17th century, the present site of London was occupied by numerous Algonquin and Iroquois villages; the Algonquin village at the forks of Askunessippi (the Thames River) was called Kotequogong. This site was selected as the site of the future capital of Upper Canada by Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe in 1793Events January 2 Russia and Prussia partition Poland January 9 Jean-Pierre Blanchard becomes the first to fly in a balloon in the United States. January 21 After being found guilty of treason by the French Convention, "Citizen Capet" ie. Louis XVI of Fran, who named it after London, EnglandLondon is the capital of the United Kingdom and of England, and with over seven million inhabitants in the Greater London area, is the second-most populous conurbation in Europe (after Moscow). From being Londinium the capital of the Roman province of Bri. However, the choice was rejected by Governor DorchesterSir Guy Carleton, 1st Baron Dorchester ( 1724- 1808) was a British soldier who served as Governor of Canada. Colonel Carleton was a part of James Wolfe's attack on Quebec City during the Battle of the Plains of Abraham. General Carleton repelled the Ameri, who commented sardonically that access to London would be limited to hot-air balloons. In 1814Events January 14 Denmark cedes Norway to Sweden January 29 French army of Emperor Napoleon I wins the Battle of Brienne January 31 Gervasio Antonio de Posadas becomes Supreme Director of Argentina. February Congress of Chatillon see George Hamilton Gordo there was a skirmish during the War of 1812The North American War of 1812 between the United States and the United Kingdom is one of several wars associated with that year. It is more normally known in British texts as the British-American War to distinguish it from Napoleon's war against Russia w in what is now south London. The city itself was not founded until 1826, and it never became the capital envisioned by Simcoe. It was part of the Talbot Settlement, overseen by Colonel Thomas TalbotColonel Thomas Talbot ( July 19 1771- February 5 1853) was born at Malahide Castle in Ireland. He emigrated to Canada in 1791, where he became personal secretary to John Graves Simcoe, lieutenant-governor of Upper Canada. In 1800 he received a grant of 5,, who surveyed the land and built the first government buildings for the administration of the Western Ontario region. With the rest of southwestern Ontario which was part of this settlement it benefited from Talbot's provisions for building and maintaining roads and for assignment of priority for access to main roads to productive land (rather than to Crown and clergy reserves, which received preference in the rest of Ontario). London remained a centre of strong Tory support during the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837, with a large British garrison stationed there, although there was a brief rebellion led by Charles Duncombe.
In the 1860s, sulphur hot springs were discovered at the forks of the Thames River while industrialists were drilling for oil. The springs became a popular destination for wealthy Ontarians, until the turn of the century when a textile factory was built over them.
While other Protestant cities in Ontario (notably Toronto) remained under the sway of the Orange Order well into the twentieth century, London abandoned sectarianism in the nineteenth. In 1877, Catholic and Protestant Irish in London formed the Irish Benevolent Society, which was open to both Catholics and Protestants and forbade the discussion of Irish politics. The influence of the Orange Order (and of Catholic organizations) quickly waned. The Society survives to this day.
London continued its role as a military centre during the two world wars, serving as the administrative centre for the Western Ontario district. Today there is still an active Garrison Support Unit in the city.
London continues to grow, having amalgamated many of the surrounding communities in 1961 and again in the 1990s. It is currently the 11th largest city in Canada and the 5th largest city in Ontario.