On 7 July 2005, a series of bomb attacks on London’s transport network killed 56 people and injured 784 others. Three explosions on the Underground and a blast on a double decker bus in Tavistock Square. The explosions were caused by homemade organic peroxide-based devices packed into backpacks. The bombings were followed two weeks later by a series of attempted attacks that failed to cause injury or damage.

On 7 July 1607 the National Anthem was sung for the first time at Merchant Taylor’s Hall to James I by members of His Majesty’s Chapel Royal

Over the last 200 years, there have been three assassination attempts on Constitution Hill, a road under half a mile long

LSO St Lukes, formerly St Luke’s church in Old Street, was once nicknamed ‘Lousy Luke’s’ due to the flea on the weathervane

David Livingstone is buried in Westminster Abbey – but his heart is buried in Africa – the tribe he’d befriended said it belonged there

Stanley Baldwin is the only British Prime Minister ever to serve under three different monarchs: George V; Edward VIII; George V

By Goldsmith’s Chambers in Inner Temple, a board lists fictional residents from author John Mortimer’s Rumpole of the Bailey

Holland Park was a private estate attached to Holland House and became a public park after the house was bombed in World War II

On 7 July 1985 at seventeen Boris Becker won Wimbledon, the youngest ever player to win, he was also the first German ever to win the title, and the first unseeded player

The only station name common to both London Tube and Paris Metro is Temple. It is not St Paul’s – that’s Saint-Paul

St Andrew’s church in Hornchurch has a stained glass window depicting a red Ford Fiesta, in tribute to the firm’s nearby factory

Sewardstone north of Chingford is the only place with a London postcode (E4) that lies outside Greater London

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 30 June 1992 Margaret Thatcher took her place in the House of Lords as Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven. In her first debate she spoke out against the government on the Maastricht Treaty. She would be proved right, its adoption gave rise to Ukip and ultimately the Referendum to leave the EU. She was Britain’s first woman prime minister in 1979, and the longest serving prime minister of the 20th century.

On 30 June 1937 the British emergency number 999 was introduced, the first telephone system of its kind in the world

On 30 June 1967 a sky-blue Bentley collected Mick Jagger from the Scrubs and Keith Richards from Brixton after doing time for drugs

On 30 June 1894, under a cloudless sky, Tower Bridge was officially opened by the Prince of Wales (later Edward VII)

On Westminster Bridge Road is the entrance to an old station from where passengers took their last journey to Brookwood Cemetery

The Ayrton Light atop Parliament’s Elizabeth Tower (known as Big Ben) shines to show that the House is sitting

When Ellen Terry visited Whistler’s Chelsea studio Oscar Wilde described seeing her arrive in the full regalia of Lady Macbeth

King James I kept elephants in St James’s Park. They were allowed a gallon of wine a day each to get through the English winter

Dash to Pope’s Road, Brixton in September to watch the Brixton Bolt, see if you can beat Usain’s 100 metre time of 9.58

Jubilee Line trains have been decorated for the Jubilee – appropriate really, as line originally named for 1977 one (hence silver on map)

The Castle pub in Farringdon holds a pawnbrokers licence granted by George IV when he left a heirloom in lieu of a gambling loan

During the Great Fire of London, Samuel Pepys buried his prized possession, a chunk of parmesan cheese, in his back garden

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.