In September 1940, Germany began a bombing raid on London that lasted 57 consecutive days. The attacks on London, and surrounding areas, would continue until May 1941.
Known as "The Blitz," it was one of London's bloodiest chapters in World War II. Tens of thousands of people died, and about a third of the city was destroyed.
Many of those who survived did so by hiding all night in underground stations and tunnels — listening to the bombs crash overhead and hoping their world wasn't about to come crashing down on them.
Today, of course, London is a bustling metropolis with skyscrapers and five-star restaurants.
Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.
But the city's wartime history can still be seen if you know where to look.
Photo by Keystone/Getty Images.
In the photo series below by photographer Jim Dyson, images of today's London have been overlaid with pictures of the destruction from WWII in the same locations, marking the passage of time as well as the healing of scars.
Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by Central Press/Getty Images.
From a crater in the middle of London's major thoroughfare...
Photo Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by Central Press/Getty Images.
...to a bombed-out bus in Harrington Square shown as a modern-day bus approaches the same station.
Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by H. F. Davis/Topical Press Agency/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
This crater was once directly in front of Buckingham Palace, which was bombed on Sept. 13, 1940.
Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
The Surrey Docks were also bombed, creating a massive plume of smoke over the River Thames.
Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images.
On May 11, the world will commemorate the 75th anniversary of the end of the Blitz.
Like most reflections on war, this anniversary comes with a mixture of feelings. While the streets have been repaved, the buildings rebuilt, and the buses and cars replaced, some scars remain — a reminder the war wasn't as long ago as it might feel. It was in people's current lifetimes.
Photo by Jim Dyson/Getty Images. Overlay photo by H F Davis/Getty Images.
There are still bomb shelter signs visible on London street corners, pointing people to safety. You can even visit the old stations that people used to hide in with their families as they prayed to make it through the night.
Down Street station in Mayfair, which operated as a bomb shelter in 1940. Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images.
Christ Church Greyfriars, a church in London that stands in the shadow of St. Paul's Cathedral, is still a skeleton of its former self. Only a bombed-out wall and recently restored steeple remain.
Photo by Iridescent/Wikimedia Commons.
As time moves on and we get further away from the visual reminders of these moments in time, it's important to occasionally look back and remember where we came from.
Some scars fade and some remain, but they'll always be part of us.
There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."