On 4 February 1748 social reformer Jeremy Bentham was born at Church Lane, Houndsditch. On his death Bentham left instructions for his body to be first dissected, and then to be permanently preserved as an ‘auto-icon’, which would be his memorial. This was done and occasionally Bentham is taken into meetings of the UCL College Council and that it is recorded in the minutes that Mr Bentham is present, but not voting.
On 4 February 1962 printed at its Gray’s Inn works the Sunday Times published Britain’s first newspaper colour supplement
During World War One a baker on Chapman Street, Shadwell was jailed for three days after being caught selling fresh bread
There’s an extensive military citadel beneath the streets of Whitehall one entrance via a lift is in the telephone exchange in Craig’s Court
Patrick Fraher and William Cummins died plunging from Barrington House cutting a hole in a concrete block forgetting they were standing in the middle, they’d been due to take part in a safety course next day
In February 1894 in Greenwich Park anarchist Martial Bourdin accidentally blew himself on route to blow up the Royal Observatory
Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club on Frith Street was the site of Jimi Hendrix’s last public performance in 1970, he would die on 18 September of that year
The rhyme Pop Goes the Weasel refers to the pawning of a suit to pay for drink; ‘Up and down the City Road, in and out the Eagle’ the public house
Oscar winning movie Chariots of Fire was filmed in Hurlingham Park, Fulham, the title was inspired by the line, “Bring me my chariot of fire,” from the William Blake poem
Farringdon underground station is the only station from which passengers exited en masse on their way to a public hanging
Until 1910 you could walk across the walkway at the top of Tower Bridge it was shut because it started to become popular with prostitutes
Diarist Samuel Pepys buried his parmesan cheese and wine in his garden to protect them from the Great Fire of London in 1666
Trivial Matter: London in 140 characters is taken from the daily Twitter feed @cabbieblog.
A guide to the symbols used here and source material can be found on the Trivial Matter page.
