Monday Miscellanea

Dave Haste
By Dave Haste Last edited 141 months ago
Monday Miscellanea

This Week In London’s History

  • Monday18th June 1972: A British European Airways plane bound for Brussels crashes moments after taking off from Heathrow airport, killing all 118 passengers. An inquiry later concludes that the pilot had made a ‘speed error’ and stalled the plane, causing it to crash into a field in Staines.
  • Tuesday19th June 1997: McDonald’s wins a libel case against two members of the ‘London Greenpeace’ campaigning group. Having taken seven years, the ‘McLibel’ case becomes the longest-running court action in English history, and despite the verdict, something of an embarrassment to McDonald’s.
  • Wednesday20th June 1934: Work starts on dismantling the original Waterloo Bridge, designed by John Rennie and opened in 1821, to allow for a more structurally sound replacement. The first stone is removed by Herbert Morrison, leader of the London County Council (at that time).
  • Thursday21st June 1887: Queen Victoria celebrates her Golden Jubilee with a procession through London that, according to Mark Twain, “stretched to the limit of sight in both directions”.
  • Friday22nd June 1907: The deep-level ‘Charing Cross, Euston and Hampstead Railway’ opens. It would later form part of the Northern Line.

Random London Quote Of The Week

A country gentleman should bring his lady to visit London as soon as he can, that they may have agreeable topicks for conversation when they are by themselves.

Samuel Johnson

Picture by sheyne via the Londonist Flickr Pool.

Last Updated 17 June 2012