This Week In London’s History
- Monday – 5th September 1975: An IRA bomb explodes in the lobby of the Hilton Hotel on Park Lane in central London, causing 2 fatalities and injuries to a further 63 people.
- Tuesday – 6th September 1997: The funeral of Princess Diana takes place at Westminster Abbey. The service is watched on television by millions of people worldwide, as Elton John performs a re-worked version of Candle in the Wind and Diana’s brother, Earl Spencer, delivers a controversial speech criticising the media and (indirectly) the Royal Family.
- Wednesday – 7th September 1978: Bulgarian dissident Georgi Markov is stabbed in the thigh with an umbrella whilst walking across Waterloo Bridge. He soon develops a fever, is hospitalised, and dies three days later. A post-mortem reveals a metal pellet containing the poison ricin embedded in his thigh.
- Thursday – 8th September 1915: During the first bombing raid on London of the First World War, a Zeppelin drops incendiary bombs near Fenchurch Street.
- Friday – 9th September 1960: Hugh John Mungo Grant is born in Hammersmith. He would become a well-recognised film actor and producer.
Random London Quote Of The Week
Four thousand people cross London bridge every day, mostly fools.
Thomas Carlyle
Picture by Mohain via the Londonist Flickr pool.
