The first world war (1914-1918) left the tower largely untouched; the only bomb to fall on the fortress landed in the moat. however, the war brought the tower of london back into use as a prison for the first time since the early 19th century and between 1914-1916 eleven spies were help and subseguently executed in the tower. the last execution in the tower took place in 1941 during the second world war (1939-1945). bomb damage to the tower during the second world war was much greater: a number of buildings were severely damaged or destroyed including the mid- 19th century north bastion, which received a direct hit on october 1940, and the hospital block which was partly destroyed during an air raid in the same year. noday the tower of ljndon is one of the worlds major tourist attractions and 2.5 million visitors a year come to discover its long and eventful history,its buildings, ceremonies and traditions.