About Kaufman

To the Working Men’s Club in Bethnal Green last night for The Idler winter 2006 edition launch party. This issue has an ‘eco’ theme about it – it is dubbed ‘How To Save The World Without Really Trying’ – but taking centre stage at last …

The Blitz may have been started entirely by accident, it was claimed yesterday. A Luftwaffe pilot may have kick-started the second Great Fire of London by dumping unused bombs on the East End instead of the English Channel. During the war, it was common practice …

1940 St. Paul’s is hit by bombs. One myth of the Battle of Britain was that St Paul’s Cathedral remained untouched (Churchill had insisted on it). However, the cathedral was hit on this day in 1940 (and again on April 17th 1941) and the Choir …

Sincerest apologies, dear readers. The author of this column (Column? Post?) has had a particularly trying week, what with almost getting fired from his high-pressure media sales job and also being asked to vacate the sofa near Highbury Corner he had been staying on since …

September 29th, 1829 Scotland Yard was founded along with the Metropolitan Police by Sir Robert Peel. Legislation introduced by Peel reorganized the London police force and policemen were affectionately nicknamed ‘Bobbies’ and ‘Peelers’ after him. Originally, there were only 1,000 constables employed. Although at first …

…because it’s a Virgin. Apologies, that was truly terrible. Anyway, on with the news: Beardy billionaire Richard ‘Dickie’ Branson is trying to break the Glasgow to London rail speed record today. One of Virgin’s tilting Pendolino trains left for Glasgow at 12:37pm, hoping to eclipse …

Alan Crompton-Batt: 23rd March 1954 – 21st September 2004 Londonist raises a glass in memory of a bon viveur and rock’n’roll restaurant PR great. Alan Crompton-Batt was the public relations consultant credited with creating the notion of the celebrity chef. He also used to manage …

(Yes, we couldn’t think of a wittier title. Come up with your own and post them below…) A moderate crowd gathered in Soho this afternoon to witness the unveiling of a green plaque marking the birthplace of British rock’n’roll – at the former 2i’s café …

A woman has found stabbed to death and a man critically injured in the grounds of one of Britain’s leading public schools. A police spokesman said: “We were called to Harrow School in Peterborough Road, north west London, to reports of a man injured.” Officers …

Remember the 100-year-old who had to be forced to take a day off work to celebrate his centenary? Turns out he may not be as mad as we had previously assumed. No. An expert (that’s a-n expert, not A-n-n-e Expert) has found that being unemployed …