facts

This Week In London’s History Monday – 14th July 1824: On a state visit to London, King Kamehameha II of Hawaii dies of measles. Tuesday – 15th July 1966: A ‘colour bar’ at Euston Station, preventing black people from holding positions where they might come …

This Week In London’s History Monday – 7th July 2005: Four suicide bombers detonate bombs on London’s public transport system, resulting in the death of 52 commuters and injury to some 700 others. Tuesday – 8th July 1965: Ronnie Biggs, a member of the gang …

This Week In London’s History Monday – 30th June 1894: Tower Bridge is opened by the Prince of Wales. It would become an iconic symbol of London, and arguably the most well-recognised ‘bascule bridge’ in the world (even if tourists do sometime mistake it for …

This Week In London’s History Monday – 9th June 1958: Queen Elizabeth II flies into a revamped Gatwick to officially open London’s second biggest airport. Tuesday – 10th June 2000: The Millennium Footbridge opens, spanning the Thames between Bankside and the City. It would initially …

This Week In London’s History Monday – 2nd June 1953: The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II takes place in Westminster Abbey. Tuesday – 3rd June 1982: Israeli ambassador to Britain, Shlomo Argov, is shot in the head outside the Dorchester Hotel in London. He would …

This Week In London’s History Monday – 19th May 2004: Security at the House of Commons is breached, as two protesters from the ‘Fathers 4 Justice’ campaign group throw condoms filled with purple flour at Prime Minister Tony Blair as he addresses the House. Tuesday …

This Week In London’s History Monday – 12th May 1967: Pink Floyd stage their ‘Games for May’ concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall on the South Bank. The concert is notable for being the first ever live performance to use a quadraphonic sound system. Unfortunately, …

This Week In London’s History Monday – 28th April 1801: Anthony Ashley-Cooper, 7th Earl of Shaftesbury, is born at 24 Grosvenor Square. He would become a noted politician and philanthropist, whose works would be commemorated by the construction of the Shaftesbury Memorial (a.k.a. ‘The Angel …

This Week In London’s History Monday – 21st April 1509: Henry VII dies in Richmond Palace, supposedly as the result of a ‘broken heart’ following the deaths of his son and wife several years before. Tuesday – 22nd April 1925: George Cole is born in …

This Week In London’s History Monday – 14th April 1471: During the Wars of the Roses, the Yorkists defeat the Lancastrians in the Battle of Barnet, allowing Edward IV to resume the throne. Tuesday – 15th April 1755: Samuel Johnson’s A Dictionary of the English …