For some reason, entering the subway or any other kind of public transportation is like turning on an episode of The Twilight Zone or Black Mirror. Whatever you thought you knew about reality doesn’t matter anymore.

Subway systems are ancient — over 150 years old. The first urban underground railway, the Metropolitan Railway, began operating in London in 1863. It was very popular even though it wasn’t the most comfortable mode of transportation: it was worked by steam trains and was unhealthy for passengers and staff. In 1890, the first electrified underground urban railway, City & South London Railway, opened. Since the tunnels were tubular, the term "tube" eventually became synonymous with the London Underground.

In 1896, Budapest opened the first electrified underground line in Europe. The Budapest system was the first underground with overhead cables. In 1898, the technically outdated two-line Vienna Metropolitan Railway in Vienna was opened which was operated by steam trains. The system was converted to a modern underground railway only in 1978. The first line of the Paris Métro opened in 1900. Its full name was the Chemin de Fer Métropolitain; the name was shortened to ‘métro’, a word we’re all familiar with and borrowed by many languages.

Boston has the oldest subway tunnel in the United States that is still in use, dating from 1897. The New York City Subway which became one of the world's largest rapid transit systems, opened its first section in 1904, stretching from City Hall to 145th Street.

Cairo was the first African city with a metro system. It opened in 1987. The second African metro opened in Algiers in November 2011. Pretoria, Lagos, and some other African cities also have plans to build rapid transit networks. Which means they too will soon be enjoying all the odd sights and funny situations of the subway, just like us.