7th March 1969: The Queen opens the Victoria Line

On this day in 1969 the Victoria Line was officially opened by the Queen. An Underground line from Walthamstow to Victoria had been proposed as far back as 1943 to relieve congestion on the other lines, and construction began in 1960 on what was to be the first entirely new Tube line for half a century. Alternative suggested names for the line were "Walvic line" (Walthamstow–Victoria), "Viking line" (Victoria-King's Cross), "Mayfair line" and "West End line". The section between Walthamstow and Highbury & Islington began running on 1st September 1968, and to Warren Street on 1st December; both services opened without fanfare. The Queen officially opened the line on 7th March 1969 when she drove a fully-automated train from Green Park to Oxford Circus, before making a return journey to Victoria where she unveiled a plaque; in doing so she became the first British monarch to ride the Tube. The extension beneath the Thames was opened on 23rd July 1971 by Princess Alexandra; Pimlico Station was opened the following year, which was the last station added to the line. Along with the Waterloo & City Line, the Victoria Line is one of only two lines on the network to run entirely underground. 

On this day in 1950 Timothy Evans was wrongly hanged at Pentonville Prison for the murder of his wife Beryl and infant daughter Geraldine at their Notting Hill home. Three years later, Evans's downstairs neighbour John Christie - who had been the chief prosecution witness at Evans's trial - was found to be a serial killer, and admitted to murdering Beryl and Geraldine. Evans was later granted a posthumous pardon, and his execution was a major step towards the abolition of capital punishment for murder in 1965.

On this day in 1973 the Queen opened Modern London Bridge. The previous bridge, which had opened in 1831, was dismantled and sold to American oil tycoon Robert McCulloch for nearly $2.5m, who had it rebuilt in Lake Havasu, Arizona. Rumours abounded that McCulloch thought he was purchasing Tower Bridge, but this was fervently denied.

On this day in 1861 London's first tram service began operating, when George Francis Train, an eccentric American entrepreneur, introduced horse trams between Notting Hill Gate and Marble Arch. The rails protruded from the street, causing people to trip and Train to be arrested for "breaking and injuring" the Uxbridge Road. The trams were eventually granted permission on condition that the rails sat within the roadway.

On this day in 1979 Shadow Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Airey Neave was murdered by terrorists in Westminster. The Irish National Liberation Army (INLA) claimed responsibility, having planted a bomb under Neave's car. The bomb detonated as Neave was driving out of the car park of the Houses of Parliament, and he died at Westminster Hospital shortly afterwards.