diff --git a/src/domain/navigation/URLRouter.js b/src/domain/navigation/URLRouter.js
index 082be2b9..36a1c244 100644
--- a/src/domain/navigation/URLRouter.js
+++ b/src/domain/navigation/URLRouter.js
@@ -22,22 +22,13 @@ export class URLRouter {
         this._stringifyPath = stringifyPath;
         this._subscription = null;
         this._pathSubscription = null;
+        this._isApplyingUrl = false;
     }
 
     attach() {
-        this._subscription = this._history.subscribe(url => {
-            const redirectedUrl = this._applyUrl(url);
-            if (redirectedUrl !== url) {
-                this._history.replaceUrlSilently(redirectedUrl);
-            }
-        });
+        this._subscription = this._history.subscribe(url => this._applyUrl(url));
         this._applyUrl(this._history.get());
-        this._pathSubscription = this._navigation.pathObservable.subscribe(path => {
-            const url = this.urlForPath(path);
-            if (url !== this._history.get()) {
-                this._history.pushUrlSilently(url);
-            }
-        });
+        this._pathSubscription = this._navigation.pathObservable.subscribe(path => this._applyNavigationPath(path));
     }
 
     dispose() {
@@ -45,11 +36,27 @@ export class URLRouter {
         this._pathSubscription = this._pathSubscription();
     }
 
+    _applyNavigationPath(path) {
+        const url = this.urlForPath(path);
+        if (url !== this._history.get()) {
+            if (this._isApplyingUrl) {
+                // redirect
+                this._history.replaceUrlSilently(url);
+            } else {
+                this._history.pushUrlSilently(url);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
     _applyUrl(url) {    
         const urlPath = this._history.urlAsPath(url)
         const navPath = this._navigation.pathFrom(this._parseUrlPath(urlPath, this._navigation.path));
+        // this will cause _applyNavigationPath to be called,
+        // so set a flag whether this request came from ourselves
+        // (in which case it is a redirect if the url does not match the current one)
+        this._isApplyingUrl = true;
         this._navigation.applyPath(navPath);
-        return this._history.pathAsUrl(this._stringifyPath(navPath));
+        this._isApplyingUrl = false;
     }
 
     pushUrl(url) {
diff --git a/src/domain/session/room/RoomViewModel.js b/src/domain/session/room/RoomViewModel.js
index d401c843..5aa20a2a 100644
--- a/src/domain/session/room/RoomViewModel.js
+++ b/src/domain/session/room/RoomViewModel.js
@@ -25,7 +25,6 @@ export class RoomViewModel extends ViewModel {
         const {room, ownUserId} = options;
         this._room = room;
         this._ownUserId = ownUserId;
-        this._timeline = null;
         this._timelineVM = null;
         this._onRoomChange = this._onRoomChange.bind(this);
         this._timelineError = null;
@@ -42,13 +41,13 @@ export class RoomViewModel extends ViewModel {
     async load() {
         this._room.on("change", this._onRoomChange);
         try {
-            this._timeline = this.track(this._room.openTimeline());
-            await this._timeline.load();
-            this._timelineVM = new TimelineViewModel(this.childOptions({
+            const timelineVM = this.track(new TimelineViewModel(this.childOptions({
                 room: this._room,
-                timeline: this._timeline,
+                timeline: this._room.openTimeline(),
                 ownUserId: this._ownUserId,
-            }));
+            })));
+            await timelineVM.load();
+            this._timelineVM = timelineVM;
             this.emitChange("timelineViewModel");
         } catch (err) {
             console.error(`room.openTimeline(): ${err.message}:\n${err.stack}`);
diff --git a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js
index 0f7464f8..5faa23b3 100644
--- a/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js
+++ b/src/domain/session/room/timeline/TimelineViewModel.js
@@ -39,13 +39,17 @@ export class TimelineViewModel extends ViewModel {
     constructor(options) {
         super(options);
         const {room, timeline, ownUserId} = options;
-        this._timeline = timeline;
+        this._timeline = this.track(timeline);
         // once we support sending messages we could do
         // timeline.entries.concat(timeline.pendingEvents)
         // for an ObservableList that also contains local echos
         this._tiles = new TilesCollection(timeline.entries, tilesCreator({room, ownUserId, clock: this.clock}));
     }
 
+    async load() {
+        await this._timeline.load();
+    }
+
     /**
      * @return {bool} startReached if the start of the timeline was reached
      */
diff --git a/src/main.js b/src/main.js
index 7bf7d5af..2626b2f9 100644
--- a/src/main.js
+++ b/src/main.js
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ export async function main(container, paths, legacyExtras) {
             navigation,
             updateService: serviceWorkerHandler
         });
-        window.__brawlViewModel = vm;
+        window.__hydrogenViewModel = vm;
         await vm.load();
         // TODO: replace with platform.createAndMountRootView(vm, container);
         const view = new RootView(vm);
diff --git a/src/ui/web/dom/History.js b/src/ui/web/dom/History.js
index 61f04444..92927d3f 100644
--- a/src/ui/web/dom/History.js
+++ b/src/ui/web/dom/History.js
@@ -17,14 +17,11 @@ limitations under the License.
 import {BaseObservableValue} from "../../../observable/ObservableValue.js";
 
 export class History extends BaseObservableValue {
-    constructor() {
-        super();
-        this._boundOnHashChange = null;
-    }
-
-    _onHashChange() {
-        this.emit(this.get());
-        this._storeHash(this.get());
+    handleEvent(event) {
+        if (event.type === "hashchange") {
+            this.emit(this.get());
+            this._storeHash(this.get());
+        }
     }
 
     get() {
@@ -60,13 +57,11 @@ export class History extends BaseObservableValue {
     }
 
     onSubscribeFirst() {
-        this._boundOnHashChange = this._onHashChange.bind(this);
-        window.addEventListener('hashchange', this._boundOnHashChange);
+        window.addEventListener('hashchange', this);
     }
 
     onUnsubscribeLast() {
-        window.removeEventListener('hashchange', this._boundOnHashChange);
-        this._boundOnHashChange = null;
+        window.removeEventListener('hashchange', this);
     }
 
     _storeHash(hash) {