On this day in 1569, the first ever lottery was held in England, with tickets on sale at the door of St Paul's Cathedral in London. You can't get there now for the tents of the anti-capitalist protesters who are no doubt mightily miffed they haven't won the lottery yet. By the way, in 1569 the first prize was a night out with the Queen's First Minister, Lord Burleigh. The second prize was two nights out with him.
Look - do you mind? That wasn't an old joke in 1569.
In other news ...
Charing Cross railway station opened today in 1864. They used to have a bloke to sweep the horse s**t away so that ladies' skirts didn't drag through it on their way in. In Boris Johnson's London today you need a university degree to do that job and it only operates on alternate Thursdays due to health and safety regulations. I'm surprised that more people don't ride horses in London nowadays, though I may have missed the clause which states that they too are subject to the congestion charge.
