On 10 January 1930 a letter in The Times from George Buchanan offered some sage advice to road users when joining major roads such as Piccadilly from a side street, suggesting it should be obligatory to sound one’s horn alerting others of your intention. His suggestion seems to have gained traction as today horns are forever used when grids to a halt traffic. Rather surprisingly he advocated a 25-30mph speed limit in London – if only.

On 10 January 1885 Toynbee Hall formally opened, named after social reformer Arnold Toynbee who improved the lives of many in Whitechapel

In the 14th century London had a higher murder rate than any United States city does today at around 50 per 100,000 population, today it’s 1.8

The Coade Lion, Westminster Bridge previously stood over the entrance to the Lion Brewery by Hungerford Bridges

On 10 January 1945 Roderick David ‘Rod’ Stewart was born above his father’s newsagents at 507 Archway Road, Highgate

On 10 January 1946 the first General Assembly of the United Nations was held in the Methodist Central Hall, Westminster

In The Italian Job Michael Caine says “You’re only supposed to blow the bloody doors off” was filmed inside Crystal Palace Park athletics track

The Cheshire Cheese was once famous for serving huge beef, oyster and lark pies that weighed 50 to 80lbs and served up to 100 people

When Usain Bolt ran the 100m at the 2012 London Olympics, his feet only touched the ground for two seconds

Around 30,000 passengers went on The Metropolitan Line on its first day of public business – January 10, 1863

Constantia Philips, a retired courtesan, opened London’s first sex shop in 1732. Her ‘preservatives’ – condoms – were hugely popular

On 10 January 1985 8 people killed in a gas explosion at Manor Fields Estate Putney Police found bags stuffed with £20 notes in the debris

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.