On 9 January 1986 Michael Heseltine quit as Defence Secretary in a row with Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher he flounced out of a meeting at Number 10 saying his views on the future of the Westland Helicopter Company were being ignored. The final straw came when Mrs Thatcher insisted all Heseltine’s public comments on Westland would have to be vetted by officials before release.

On 9 January 1864 the first ‘official’ exhibition football game under FA Rules was at Battersea Park, players were selected by the FA

’Monkey Suckers’ perfected the art of drilling into barrels stored at East End docks then using tube to suck out a bottle, or two, of rum

The lions heads along Victoria and Albert Embankments are a Victorian flood warning system – hence ‘When the lions drink, London will sink’

Both Elizabeth I and Henry VIII were born at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, Sir Walter Raleigh was said to have thrown his cloak over a puddle here to prevent Queen Elizabeth getting her feet wet

During the war, special supply trains ran, providing seven tonnes of food and 2,400 gallons of tea and cocoa every night to people staying in the Tube

On 9 January 1951 the first film to receive an X certificate from the British Board of Censors opened in London called Life Begins Tomorrow

If you lunch or dine at the Garrick Club, at the end of the meal the waiter brings in a silver box filled with charcoal biscuits. Why?

Fulham FC are the oldest professional football club in London having been derived from St Andrew’s Church team

On the 9 January 1863 the world’s first underground train travelled its 3.5 mile maiden journey from Paddington to Farringdon

Founded in London by English royal charter in 1670, the Hudson’s Bay Company is the world’s oldest chartered company

On 9 January 1768 the first modern circus was staged in London by Philip Astley following the success of his invention of the circus ring

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.