On 28 April 1772 the world’s most travelled goat died in Mile End. Twice it circumnavigated the world, once with Captain Wallis on the Dolphin and later with Captain Cook’s Endeavour. An Admiralty document vouches for her travels and longevity. The Lords of the Admiralty had, just previous to her death, signed a warrant, admitting her to the privileges of an in-pensioner of Greenwich Hospital, a boon she did not live to enjoy

On 28 April 1994 the Tate Gallery announced the taking possession of Bankside Power Station to convert into a museum of modern art

The Marquess of Queensberry sought permission with a Act of Parliament to shoot motorists whom he thought presented a danger to himself

When renovating Queen Victoria Memorial a workman knocked off her nose, with the bright white replacement she appeared to have snorted cocaine. Alas, it’s now repaired in time for the 2012 Olympics

Playwright Ben Johnson couldn’t afford a normal burial in Westminster Abbey determined by plot size was buried upright standing for eternity

From the reigns of King Charles II to George IV Chelsea’s King’s Road was a private thoroughfare which only the royal family could use

The lions of Trafalgar Square were sculpted from life, artist Landseer used a dead lion supplied by London Zoo until the neighbours complained of the smell. A cat was the replacement

When Regent Street was built windows on its eastern side were larger than opposite to encourage Mayfair residents to cross the road

On 28 April 1923 King George V cut the first turf at the newly built Wembley Stadium,it’s not recorded whether he came back to paint the lines

The name of Blue Post public houses take their title from the markers which denoted the start of a rank for sedan chairs in Georgian London

The drop out rate for ‘The Knowledge’, the stringent test to qualify as a London cab driver is over 70 per cent

House numbers in London always have the lowest numbers starting at the end of the street closest to Charing Cross

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.

On 21 April 1955 a strike which had paralysed Fleet Street ended, the Electricians and Engineers Union, seeking a rise of £2 per week had stopped all publications from the famous newspaper street. The only unaffected paper was the Guardian produced in Manchester. Big news events the Fleet Street papers have missed included Sir Winston Churchill’s resignation and the announcement of a general election.

On 21 April 1834 saw a meeting on Copenhagen Fields, Islington protesting against the deportation of the Tolpuddle Martyrs to Australia

One for the Road and On the Waggon derive from condemned prisoners going to Tyburn being given a drink at the Angel PH St Giles High Street

On 21 April 1933 The Rum Quay West India Docks caught fire burning for 4 days. 6,500 puncheons (3.1 million litres) of rum kept it going

On 21 April 1926 The Queen (Elizabeth II) was born at 21 Bruton Street, Mayfair, eldest daughter of George VI & Lady Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon

The clock at Horse Guards has a black square on the dial denoting the time King Charles I was executed outside Banqueting House opposite

The location shots in the 1950s film Passport to Pimlico were shot not in affluent Pimlico but poorer Lambeth and Vauxhall in south London

On 21 April 1964 BBC2 was launched; however, a fire at Battersea Power Station caused power cuts and only brief news’ updates were shown

In 1895, an American visitor demonstrated a new type of basketball where the girls played with wastepaper baskets at both ends of the hall. This was the first game of netball to be ever played in the UK. The rules were codified in 1901

The first man ever to fly from London to Manchester did so by following the whitewashed sleepers of the London and North Western Railway

Established in 1805 Truefitt and Hill of St. James’s Street remains the world’s oldest barbershop having served nine consecutive Monarchs

Only members of the Royal Family are allowed to drive through the central arch at Horse Guards – Kate Middleton did so after her marriage

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.