27 Astonishing Things You Didn't Know About London

7. Dog Food Was Invented In London

London isn't just a collection of buildings - it's also a vibrant collection of people, some of whom invent amazing things and some of whom invent more everyday but nonetheless still important things. Take dog food, for example. That comes from London. Starting in 1860, the very first commercial producer of dog food in the world was Spratts, which had its factory in High Holborn in central London. The inventor, James Spratt, came up with the idea because he was horrified by the packs of half-starved dogs that hung around the London docks. He soon patented a "Meat-Fibrine dog cake", which was shaped like a bone. Despite the fact that his pricey product was made out of wheat, vegetables, and cow blood, he rather cheekily pretended that his biscuits used exotic buffalo meat to push up sales. There's one more incredible fact about dog food that even most Londoners don't know...