Things To Do In London Today: 6 November 2012


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BIRTHDAYS: Wish many happy returns to Blackfriars Bridge and Holborn Viaduct, both of which were opened by Queen Victoria on this day in 1869. Also, happy 63rd to London boy Nigel Havers.

TAYLOR SWIFT: If you're prepared to queue up from 7am this morning in Westfield White City, claim a free wristband, then return at 6pm tonight, you're (a) going to see Taylor Swift turn on Westfield's Christmas lights, and (b) driven by very different motivations to us. 2,500 wristbands are available, so turning up a bit later might still be OK. Free, just turn up, from 7am

GIVE BLOOD: Today's blood donor clinic is at Brewers Hall in the City of London, near London Wall. Free, just turn up, 9.45-11.30am and 1-4.30pm

POTTERY: The London Potters group holds an exhibition showcasing the work of 90 of its members at Morley Gallery on Westminster Bridge Road. Free, just turn up, 11am-6pm

CITIES: Does the UK need to beef up its other cities to match the international behemoth that is London? Speakers for and against the motion gather at RIBA on Portland Place tonight for what promises to be a fascinating debate. Free, but prebook, 6pm

BOOKS: International treasure Alexander McCall Smith speaks at Foyles Charing Cross Road about his new train-based novel. Free, prebook, 6.30pm

BEER BOOZE: The Talbot in Lewisham has a week long beer festival with novel beers, ciders and perries. Free (apart from the booze), just turn up, all evening

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: Fun and games at the Dana Centre, South Kensington, where you can take part in a Turing test to see if the person you’re flirting with is a human or a computer. Free, prebook, 7pm

LEARN LATIN: Learning Latin has all kinds of benefits, from improving your problem-solving skills to understanding our Mayor. This six week course begins tonight at Idler Academy on Westbourne Park Road. £150, prebook, 7.30pm

US ELECTION: We've tracked down seven different London venues hosting late-night parties and screening the live election results from over the Pond.

Random London Fact Of The Day: US Election Edition

No statue to Barack Obama yet, but London has been most generous to previous Presidents of the United States when it comes to statues. Grosvenor Square, home to the US Embassy, contains three: Franklin D Roosevelt, Dwight D Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan. George Washington gazes out onto Trafalgar Square, while Abe Lincoln prefers Parliament Square (with a bust at the Royal Exchange). FDR gets a second look-in, seated on a bench with Churchill on Old Bond Street, while a bust of President Kennedy graces Marylebone Road. What no Chester A Arthur? All these statues are rounded up in a piece we published a few years ago.

Today's London's Weather (in book titles, for some half-baked reason)

50 Shades of Grey according to The Cloud Atlas, but The Sun Also Rises after Breaking Dawn. A Hard Rain Falling, On The Road, brings Misery with The Remains of the Day. That's It. A less preposterous prediction can be found on BBC Weather.

Secret Hidden False Rumour Of The Day
The Republican candidate in tonight's US election can trace his ancestors back to east London. Romney was a now-vanished hamlet located midway between Romford and Upney. History records that it was full of total nobbers.