On 21 February 1702 while horse riding at Hampton Court Park, William III’s horse stumbled on a molehill, throwing the King from his mount. The King broke his collarbone, his health, which had never been strong, deteriorated rapidly and he died 15 days later on 8 March. The Jacobites, supporters of James II who had died in exile, still raise a toast to ‘The Little Gentleman in the Black Velvet Waistcoat’, who made that little hill.

On 21 February 1934 the German ambassador’s dog Giro was accidentally electrocuted, given a full Nazi burial, Giro now lies at 9 Carlton House Terrace

In 1836 a sewer worker penetrated the Bank of England’s bullion room and was given a reward for showing how he breached the bank’s security

Adelaide House completed in 1925 was the first building in the City to employ the steel frame technique at 141ft the tallest block in London

Christopher Wren’s tomb in the crypt of St Pauls Cathedral is inscribed “Reader, if you seek his monument, look about you”. How very true

In 1940 from Room 36 at Brown’s Hotel the Dutch exiled government declared war on Japan since it wasn’t broadcast Japan was hardly terrified

The Beatles A Day in the Life immortalises Tara Brown, Lord Oranmore’s son who in Redcliffe Gardens “blew his mind out in a car . . .”

On the London Eye capsules travel at a leisurely pace of 26cm per second, which is twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting

Only seven Wimbledon Championships since 1922 have not been affected by rain delays promoting Centre Court’s retractable roof

Cabbies are still required to carry sufficient foodstuffs for their horse, so our luggage compartments can still accommodate a bale of hay

World’s first fire insurance company was started in London after The Great Fire, it employed firemen to protect only policyholder’s property

The Mayflower pub is licensed to sell American postage stamps for allowing the Pilgrim Fathers to leave for America from its landing stage

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 14 February 1895 Oscar Wilde’s most enduring play, The Importance of Being Earnest, was premiered at the St. James’s Theatre, in King Street on a really cold St. Valentine’s Day. With already three other successful productions currently being performed in London, it would go on to be his most successful and quoted play. Lady Bracknell, she of “a handbag”, was played by the gloriously named Miss Rose Leclercq.

On 14 February 1946 the Bank of England (‘The Old Lady of Threadneedle Street’) was nationalised with the signing of a 250-page bill by King George VI

‘Do not attempt to travel by taxi while suffering from the plague’. Extract from the Public Health Act 1985. Just so you know should the need arise

The City of London the historical core of the Capital, roughly matches the boundaries the Roman city of Londinium and of medieval London

London’s first traffic lights, situated outside the Palace of Westminster, blew up injuring a policeman and causing passing cavalry horses to stampede

Upminster Bridge station has a swastika motif on the floor of the ticket hall installed before the symbol took on its sinister reputation

John Stow’s monument depicting him writing his Survey of London, he is holding a real quill pen, the quill is replaced every 5 years by the Lord Mayor

The London Eye can carry 800 people each rotation, which is comparable to 11 London red double-decker buses

In 1891 Arsenal was the first London club to turn professional, called the Royal Arsenal when the club turned professional the name changed to Woolwich Arsenal

The first parking meter was installed in Mayfair with a charge of one shilling per hour (5p) today the same fee buys you 45 seconds

The ‘porter’ style of beer was officially invented at the Bell Brewhouse in Shoreditch by Ralph Hardwood in 1722

The guns of HMS Belfast are targeted on Barnet in north London, but with a range of 30 miles could destroy Scratchwood Services on the M1

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.