8 Things People Often Get Wrong About Some of the World’s Most Famous Cities

Keen travelers have likely spent a number of time visiting the world’s most famous cities, whether they’re there on vacation or just briefly passing through while en route to somewhere else. But even those who frequent these cities may not have all their facts straight. 

Let’s debunk some commonly repeated—though false—factoids about a handful of famous cities, as adapted from the above episode of Misconceptions on YouTube.

1. Misconception: Big Ben is the name of a giant clock in London.
2. Misconception: The London Eye is a Ferris wheel.
3. Misconception: The London Underground is totally underground.
4. Misconception: Chicago’s nickname is a reference to wind.
5. Misconception: Capital cities are always the biggest cities.
6. Misconception: Beijing’s Forbidden City is off-limits.
7. Misconception: Notre-Dame has always been beloved by Parisians.
8. Misconception: New York City’s Broadway theaters have to actually be on Broadway.

Misconception: Big Ben is the name of a giant clock in London.

London is England’s most famous city, and Big Ben is arguably its most iconic landmark. Even people who haven’t been to the UK’s capital can instantly recognize the ornate tower and its massive clock face—except Big Ben isn’t the name of the clock tower or the clock. While most tourists haven’t seen Big Ben up close, they’ve likely heard it. The nickname belongs to the great bell that rings out over Westminster every hour. 

So if Big Ben is the name of the bell, what’s the clock tower called? In the Victorian Era, it was called St. Stephen’s Tower, and in the modern era it was most commonly referred to as the Clock Tower. That was until 2012, when it was renamed the Elizabeth Tower in honor of Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee. That’s still its official title, though Big Ben is widely accepted as shorthand for the structure as a whole.

Misconception: The London Eye is a Ferris wheel.

Big Ben isn’t the only commonly mislabeled landmark in the British capital. Many people assume the London Eye is a giant ferris wheel, but it’s technically the world’s tallest cantilevered observation wheel [PDF]. Cantilevered refers to the way it’s constructed—instead of anchors on both sides of the wheel, it’s held up by a single A-frame on one side. Its size and cabin designs are what distinguish it as an observation wheel. 

While most ferris wheels are smaller amusement park rides with open-air cabins, observation wheels tend to be larger tourist attractions with enclosed glass cabins that allow riders to stand up and move around. 

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Misconception: The London Underground is totally underground.

The London Underground may be a misnomer as well. Despite its name, less than half of London’s metro system goes through tunnels. It may be more accurate, but the “London 45-percent Underground” doesn’t have quite the same ring to it. 

Misconception: Chicago’s nickname is a reference to wind.

Speaking of confusing names, “the Windy City” may be the most misunderstood city nickname of all time. Chicago, Illinois, is known for its blustery weather, which is why many people assume the phrase is a reference to literal wind. 

Historians hold a different view, however. The earliest use of the nickname appears in a 1876 Cincinnati Enquirer article titled: “THAT WINDY CITY. Some of the Freaks of the Last Chicago Tornado.” According to word sleuth Barry Popik, the word choice poked fun at recent weather events while implying that the city was full of windbags. 

Etymologists also often point to an 1890 article by Charles Dana. In it, the New York Sun editor reportedly depicts Chicagoans competing to host the 1893 World’s Fair as being full of hot air—though the original article has never been found. Regardless of how the phrase was popularized, the “wind” the Windy City is known for isn’t necessarily coming off Lake Michigan. 

Misconception: Capital cities are always the biggest cities.

A country’s largest and most famous city is often its capital, but that’s not always the case. This leads to many world-class cities mislabeled as their nation’s political center. Cape Town, for example, isn’t the capital of South Africa—despite being the country’s biggest city. Nor is it Durban or Johannesburg, which come in close second and third respectively. The distinction belongs to Pretoria, which is actually the fifth most populous city.

The capital of the Land Down Under is a regular source of confusion for non-Australians. Sydney is Australia’s largest and best-known city internationally, but it’s not the seat of its government. Neither is its second largest city, nor its third, fourth, or fifth. Canberra has been the capital since the early 1900s. It was built as a compromise following debates over whether to set up the government in Melbourne or Sydney. With a population of 431,000, only 1.7 percent of Australians live there.

Rio de Janeiro is also commonly mistaken as the capital of Brazil. The city did hold the title until 1960, when the capital was moved to Brasília. While Rio’s beach access makes it a popular spot with tourists, its coastal location wasn’t very convenient for doing politics. After decades of plans to move the capital inland, construction on a new, centrally-located city finally began in 1956. Less than five years later, Brasília officially became Brazil’s capital. 

Beijing has the opposite issue. People would be right to assume that the city is the capital of the People's Republic of China, but they would be wrong to think that it’s the biggest city in the country—Shanghai holds that spot.

Misconception: Beijing’s Forbidden City is off-limits.

Here’s something else you may not know about Beijing: The Forbidden City isn’t actually forbidden. The Imperial palace was commissioned by Ming emperor Zhu Di in the early 15th century, and it served as the home of 24 emperors over the next 500 years. During that period, most of the structure was forbidden to civilians, with only the emperor and his inner circle being granted full access. That rule changed in 1925, when China’s last imperial emperor abdicated the throne and the palace opened to the public as a museum. Today the Forbidden City is one of Beijing’s most popular tourist attractions, and it’s open to everyone—except on Mondays and legal holidays.

Misconception: Notre-Dame has always been beloved by Parisians.

Notre-Dame Cathedral is often named as one Paris’s most famous landmarks along with the Eiffel Tower and the Arc de Triomphe. In addition to being one of its most recognizable features, it’s among the oldest, with construction dating back to the 12th century. It may be surprising, then, to hear that the gothic church wasn’t always cherished by Parisians like it is today. It was a common target of vandalism during the French revolution; in 1793, the cathedral’s statues of biblical kings were removed by a mob and decapitated. It was also around that time that all but one of its bells were melted down to make ammunition such as cannon balls. 

By the early 19th century, the once-grand structure functioned as a dilapidated wine warehouse. It received a much-needed PR boost in 1804, when Napoléon Bonaparte reinstated it as a church and held his coronation there. Several decades later, Victor Hugo published his novel Notre-Dame de Paris, painting the building in a reverent light. The book’s success is largely credited with inspiring the restoration efforts that turned Notre-Dame from a crumbling ruin to a treasured jewel of the city.

Misconception: New York City’s Broadway theaters have to actually be on Broadway.

Thanks to its association with world-class theater, Broadway in New York City is one of the most famous streets on Earth. But when speaking of productions, a venue doesn’t have to be physically located on Broadway to be “on Broadway.” While 41 theaters in New York qualify as Broadway theaters, only four of them have a Broadway address.

A Broadway theater is any venue located on the island of Manhattan that seats more than 500 people, while “off-broadway” applies to Manhattan theaters with 100 to 499 seats. That opens up the possibility of an off-Broadway theater located on Broadway—in case navigating New York as a tourist wasn’t confusing enough.