On 21 June 1675 only a few onlookers observed as Thomas Strong, a master mason, set into place the first stone of St. Paul’s that was lowered deep into the earth. The lack of fanfare could be attributed to the King fearing for his safety. He had recently implemented financial measures which were unpopular in the city and had caused great distress, there had also been considerable controversy over the plans for the Cathedral.
On 21 June 1937 the first TV broadcast of a tennis match from Wimbledon was shown of a 1st round match between Bunny Austin & George Rogers
The narrowest house in London lies next door to Tyburn Convent and was built to block a passage used by grave robbers. It is one metre wide
Holborn Viaduct was built in 1869 to overcome the steep slope on both sides of Farringdon Street and is the world’s first road flyover
On 21 June 1944 the Kinks singer Ray Davies was born in Muswell Hill, London “Well, I’m not the world’s most physical guy”
William IV was the last king ever to dismiss his government, although all subsequent monarchs have in principle been free to do so
On 21 June 1978 the Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice musical Evita premiered at the Prince Edward Theatre, starring Elaine Page
There are 32 pods on the London Eye, one for every borough, but they’re numbered 1 to 33 – no number 13 for superstitious reasons
The 21 June 1997 saw England all out for just 77 runs their lowest score at Lords since 1888 one Aussie bowler took 8 wickets for 38 runs
Electric cabs on Victorian streets numbered a mere 19 at the time 10,361 horse drawn cabs plied for hire and continued in service until 1947
Prince Philip who first referred to the Royal Family as “The firm” also described Buckingham Palace as “not ours, it’s a tied cottage”
On 21 June 1854 the 1st VC was awarded to Charles Davis Lucas who picked up a live shell from his ship’s deck throwing it into the sea
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.
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