Gday...

1846  -             A camel shoots explorer John Horrocks.

 John Ainsworth Horrocks, born in Lancashire in 1818, was the first to employ camels as an aid to exploration. Nine camels were imported from the Canary islands in 1840, but by 1846, only one still survived. This one, a bad-tempered beast by the name of Harry, accompanied Horrocks on an expedition north-west of Horrocks' station at Penwortham near Clare, SA. On 1 September 1846, Horrocks stopped near Lake Dutton to shoot a bird to add to his collection of specimens. In the letter Horrocks wrote whilst he awaited help, he recorded the following events:

"My gun being loaded with slugs in one barrel and ball in the other, I stopped the camel to get at the shot belt, which I could not get without his lying down.

"Whilst Mr. Gill was unfastening it, I was screwing the ramrod into the wad over the slugs, standing close alongside of the camel. At this moment the camel gave a lurch to one side, and caught his pack in the **** of my gun, which discharged the barrel I was unloading, the contents of which first took off the middle fingers of my right hand between the second and third joints, and entered my left cheek by my lower jaw, knocking out a row of teeth from my upper jaw."

One of Horrocks' men walked 113 km through the night to obtain help, and Horrocks was then conveyed home. A doctor was unable to do anything for his injuries, which had become infected, and Horrocks died three weeks later, on September 23. Harry the camel was taken out and shot.

1859  -             The first recorded solar flare is observed.

Solar flares are violent explosion in the Sun's atmosphere with energy equivalent to millions of 100-megaton hydrogen bombs. They occur when magnetic energy that has built up in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released.

The first solar flare recorded in astronomical history occurred on 1 September 1859. It was observed by Richard C. Carrington and Richard Hodgson, who were independently observing sunspots at the time. They each noticed an intensely bright, white light which lasted for about 5 minutes. The scientists also noticed a magnetic disturbance recorded at the same time as the white flare. This was also the first time a solar flare was noted to have directly influenced the environment around the Earth.

1951  -             The ANZUS Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States is signed.

ANZUS stands for the "Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty". The treaty signalled a military alliance between the three nations, with Australia and the United States indicating their cooperation on defence matters in the Pacific region. It was signed on 1 September 1951, and went into effect on 29 April 1952.

The Treaty developed as a result of the cooperation between Australia, New Zealand and the US in the Pacific arena during World War II. By 1951, the US wished to allow for Japan's rearmament as a result of the Korean War breaking out, including a provision that Japan grant the United States the territorial means for it to establish a military presence in the Far East. However, Australia remained wary of the country which had threatened Pacific security during the war. Australia and New Zealand only agreed to Japan's rearmament when Australia and New Zealand's proposal for a three-way security treaty was accepted by the United States. The treaty specifically stated the intention of the three signatories to work to strengthen and maintain peace in the Pacific Area, including Japan. Most recently, the treaty was invoked in Australia following the terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001.

Due to tension between New Zealand and the US over nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered ships of the US Navy visiting New Zealand ports in 1984, New Zealand no longer participates to any extent in ANZUS. However, the treaty is still current between New zealand and Australia, and the US and Australia.

1988  -             The Golden Wattle is officially proclaimed as the floral emblem of Australia.

Prior to the federation of Australia's states, interest in the concept of a national symbol began to increase. The Golden Wattle gained favour with Australians after 1908, when noted ornithologist Archibald James Campbell proposed that the wattle become the national flower. Campbell was also instrumental in advocating a National Wattle Day, an idea that was taken up by several states in subsequent years.

The wattle is by no means limited to Australia, and grows prolifically on several other continents. In 1911, the South Australian "Evening Post" reported that South Africa intended to use the wattle in its official emblems, and suggested the alternative Waratah be used as the national flower as its strength, beauty and colour represented health, firmness, endurance and independence. The wattle was incorporated into the Australian coat of arms in 1912. However, both the waratah and the wattle were used to decorate the golden trowels used by Governor General Lord Denman, Prime Minister Andrew Fisher and the Minister for Home Affairs, King O'Malley, for the laying of the foundation stones for Canberra in March 1913.

The Golden wattle continued to gain prominence as the national symbol through the years, but was not officially proclaimed Australia's national floral emblem. This only occurred on 1 September 1988, at a ceremony held at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, to mark Australia's bicentenary. The Minister for Home Affairs, Robert Ray, formally announced the adoption of the Golden wattle as Australia's national flower, and Mrs Hazel Hawke, wife of Prime Minister Robert Hawke, planted a Golden Wattle. Four years later, 1 September was formally declared 'National Wattle Day'.

1992  -             Today is Australia's "National Wattle Day".

Wattle trees are of the genus Acacia, in the Mimosa family, and common throughout Australia, where there are over 600 different species. Varying in size, they may grow as low shrubs, or tall trees. Remarkably adaptable, they grow from rainforest areas to coastal heaths and remote, parched desert country. Wattle seeds grow in pods which need heat to release them and to stimulate germination. The shape of the pods vary, to coiled, looped and twisted. The seeds have a very hard outer covering.

The golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) was officially gazetted as Australia's national floral emblem in 1988. Found only in the southern states, this species also features on the Australian coat of arms. Wattle Day is a relatively new and, in many areas unknown, celebration. Although first proposed by ornithologist Archibald Campbell in 1908, the concept was not taken up until after Australia's bicentenary. In 1992, 1 September every year was declared National Wattle Day throughout Australia. The purpose of National Wattle Day is to essentially promote all things Australian.

There remains some controversy over whether Wattle Day should be on 1 September or earlier, on 1 August. In 1916, New South Wales changed its day of celebration to 1 August as the popular Cootamundra wattle flowered earlier, and the Red Cross wished to use it to aid their fund raising for the war effort. Since then, some Australians have suggested the earlier date would be preferable, as more popular wattle varieties flower in July-August. As it stands, however, National Wattle Day remains gazetted for 1 September.

1985  -             American undersea explorer, Dr Robert Ballard, locates the wreck of the Titanic.

At the time of its launch, the RMS Titanic, also known as the SS Titanic, was the largest passenger steamship in the world. On its maiden voyage, the "unsinkable" Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40pm, ship's time, on Sunday evening, 14 April 1912, with a loss of 1,517 lives. For years, divers sought to locate its wreckage, but it was 73 years before success in this venture was achieved by Dr Robert Ballard.

Robert Duane Ballard, born on 30 June 1942, was educated as a marine geologist and geophysicist. He joined the Navy in 1967, working on undersea projects which included undersea mapping. Using sonar, Ballard located the Titanic about 3,600 metres deep in the North Atlantic Ocean on 1 September 1985. A year later he was able to return and view the wreck up close in a submersible vehicle, using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) called JASON. Ballard's skill has also enabled him to find wrecks such as that of the German battleship Bismarck, the USS Yorktown (CV-5), and PT-109, the boat once commanded by John F. Kennedy.

Cheers - John

Gday...

1666  -             The Great Fire of London begins.

The Great Fire of London was one of the biggest calamities in the history of London. It destroyed 13,200 houses and 89 churches, rendered 100,000 people homeless, and destroyed dozens of significant buildings including halls, prisons, bridges and government buildings. It began on 2 September 1666 in Pudding Lane at the house of Thomas Farynor, a baker to King Charles II; it is surmised that Farynor forgot to completely extinguish his oven the previous night. Smouldering embers from the oven ignited some nearby firewood, which in turn set alight the house. Strong winds fanned the flames to nearby buildings, many of which were of highly combustible materials such as timber, pitch and straw. The close proximity of so many buildings to one another also fed the fire.

By the time the fire was spent, 5 days later, an area of 2.5km by 0.8km lay in ashes; 150 hectares inside the city walls and 25 hectares outside. Six people were recorded as killed, but the true death toll is not known. The Great Fire did have one redeeming feature: it cleansed the city of the Great Plague which had claimed over 17,000 lives.

1840  -             Eyre names Mt Hopeless in South Australia in despair at the seemingly never-ending salt lakes.

Edward John Eyre was born on 5 August 1815, in Hornsea, Yorkshire. After coming to Australia, he gained valuable bush skills whilst droving cattle overland through Victoria. Eager to explore further, Eyre set his sights on finding a route through the Australian continent from south to north.

Eyre left Adelaide in June 1840 to explore north towards the centre of Australia. He encountered salt lake after salt lake: each time he attempted to go around a salt lake, he found his way barred by yet another. This led to Eyre's theory that Adelaide was surrounded by a vast horseshoe-shaped salt lake. By sheer bad luck, Eyre was unable to locate any of the breaks between the numerous salt-lakes which encircled the area, but by no means prevented access through to Australia's interior. It was another 18 years before other explorers disproved his theory.

On 2 September 1840, Eyre climbed and named a peak which gave him a vista of shimmering salt lakes in every direction. His feelings were certainly reflected in the naming of "Mt Hopeless".

1922  -             Henry Lawson, one of Australia's best known writers, dies.

Henry Lawson was born on 17 June 1867, on the Grenfell goldfields in New South Wales. He became one of Australia's best-known fiction writers of the colonial period. Most of his works dwelt on the Australian bush, accurately depicting the difficult conditions of life on dry, dusty outback stations and in bush towns. Unlike his contemporary, A.B. "Banjo" Paterson, he did not romanticise life in the bush, and any humour he displayed tended to be dry and sardonic, rather than like Paterson's larrikin wit.

Lawson gained a loyal following when the Bulletin started to publish his stories and poems in 1888. However, he never really recovered from his childhood hardships and rejection from his peers, and in his later years became an alcoholic. He died at home alone on 2 September 1922. He was given a state funeral which was attended by the Prime Minister, William Morris Hughes, and his brother-in-law, Jack Lang, the Premier of New South Wales. Thousands of citizens who had learned to relate to his writing also paid their respects at his funeral.

1945  -             Japan signs an unconditional surrender, officially ending WWII.

Japan, a major antagonist in WWII, had suffered catastrophic losses following the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and conventional attacks upon other major cities, such as the firebombing of Tokyo. The Soviet invasion of Manchuria debilitated the only significant forces the Japanese still had left. The USA had captured the islands of Iwo Jima and Okinawa, bringing the Japanese homeland within range of naval and air attack. Hundreds of thousands of people had been killed, and millions more were casualties or refugees of war.

Japan surrendered on 14 August 1945. The official surrender papers were signed on 2 September 1945, aboard the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, in the presence of 50 Allied generals and other officials.

1984  -             Seven people are killed, including an innocent 14-year-old girl, in rival biker gang wars in Sydney, Australia.

The shootings in Sydney on Father's Day, 2 September 1984, became known as the "Milperra Massacre". Two rival biker gangs, the Bandidos and the Comancheros, had a showdown in the car park of the Viking Tavern in Milperra, a western suburb of Sydney. The instigator of the violence was William "Jock" Ross, the "supreme commander" of the Comancheros, who made the choice to go to Milperra, in force and armed with guns, knives and baseball bats. In the ensuing gun battle, six bikers and a fourteen-year old girl were killed. The girl was selling raffle tickets outside the pub when the violence started.

Following the court case, in which forty-three people were charged with seven counts of murder, William Ross received a life sentence. Other members of the Comancheros gang received life sentences and 16 Bandidos served 14 years for manslaughter.

Cheers - John

Dougwe wrote:

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1984....only seems like yesterday.

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Gday...

it's my topic so I guess I can go off-topic

Back before I retired (I didn't use the 'work word' ) we were standing around having a morning tea. One of the young kids from the HR area was drinking out of a white mug with 1990 written on it. It interested me and I asked the significance of 1990.

 "That's the year I was born." he replied. 

Still astounds me how many 14 year old kids are driving cars these days

cheers - John 

If wombat was on-line John he would have gone "off topic" anyway. You could have blamed him then. Bugga, blame him anyway 

Gday...

1855  -             All property of the Sydney Railway Company is transferred to the New South Wales government.

The Sydney Railway Company, established for the purpose of constructing the first railway line, was incorporated on 10 October 1849. Work began on the first railway line from Sydney to Parramatta, a distance of 22km, early in July 1850.

Almost from the very beginning, the Sydney Railway Company experienced numerous obstacles and setbacks. Land required to complete the Sydney-Parramatta line became too expensive to purchase, and the company was already experiencing financial difficulties. Furthermore, the goldrush resulted in a shortage of labour as men left their jobs in droves in the hope of striking it rich. There was a shortage of timber and iron, too, as business owners took their goods to the goldfields. There, they established very profitable trading outposts where men were willing to pay more, being unwilling to travel back to the cities for supplies.

Due to the many difficulties, the construction of the Sydney to Parramatta railway line was put on hold until taken over by the New South Wales colonial government. All property owned by the Sydney Railway Company was handed over to the New South Wales government on 3 September 1855. This allowed for further development of the Sydney suburban rail network.

1894  -             The Cambus Wallace runs aground off Stradbroke Island in southern Queensland in the first of two events which cause the island to be broken into North and South.

North Stradbroke and South Stradbroke are two islands located in Moreton Bay, off southeast Queensland. In the late 1800s, the two islands were still one, joined by a narrow neck of sand known as Jumpinpin, approximately 100m wide. That changed due to a series of events between 1894 and 1896.

The Cambus Wallace was a 75 m iron hulled steamer weighing around 1 650 tonnes, carrying a load of whiskey and dynamite. It ran aground off Jumpinpin in the early morning of 3 September 1894. The ship began to break apart, six crew members were drowned, and much of the cargo was washed up on the sand. During the cleanup afterwards, the explosives were piled in a hollow between the sand dunes and detonated, blowing several craters in the sand and destabilising the dune structure in an explosion that was heard as far away as Cleveland. Over the next two years, natural forces continued to erode the seaward side of the bar. During Autumn 1896, the gale-force winds of a late-season cyclone caused the final breakthrough, creating a passage through Stradbroke Island. By 1898, the passage had increased from about 6 metres to 1500 m in width, although the depositing of sand over time has reduced that.

The breakthrough changed the nature of the southern Moreton Bay area permanently. Tidal inundation increased erosion on farmland around the mouth of the Logan River, and farmers were forced to dig canals to prevent land loss, while the oyster industry was heavily affected. Jumpinpin Channel is now a well-used fishing and boating channel, though still precarious to negotiate.

1901  -             The Australian flag is flown for the first time.

Following the proclamation of the Commonwealth of Australia on 1 January 1901, the Commonwealth government held a design competition for a new national flag. There were 32,000 entries in the competition, and most featured the Union Jack, the Southern Cross, or native animals.

Five almost identical entries were selected to share the 200 pound prize. The entries belonged to Ivor Evans, a fourteen-year-old schoolboy from Melbourne; Leslie John Hawkins, a teenager apprenticed to an optician from Sydney; Egbert John Nuttall, an architect from Melbourne; Annie Dorrington, an artist from Perth; and William Stevens, a ships officer from Auckland, New Zealand. On 3 September 1901, the new Australian flag flew for the first time from the top of the Exhibition Building in Melbourne. The flag was simplified, and approved by King Edward VII in 1902.

1939  -             Australian Prime Minister, Robert Gordon Menzies, announces that Australia is at war with Germany.

Robert Gordon Menzies entered politics in 1928 after being elected to Victorias Legislative Council for East Yarra. After six years in Victorian state politics as Attorney-General and Minister for Railways (192834), he was elected to federal parliament as member for Kooyong. In 1938, Menzies unsuccessfully challenged Lyons for the leadership of the United Australia Party. After he was defeated, Menzies resigned as a minister and as Deputy leader of the UAP. In April 1939, however, he was elected leader of the party following the death of Joseph Lyons, and became Prime Minister on 26 April 1939, entering into a tumultuous situation on the world stage.

Following increased aggression by Hitler's forces and the German invasion of Poland, Great Britain declared war on Germany on 3 September 1939. Without consulting Cabinet, not all of whom shareed his views, Menzies immediately announced Australia's support of Britain. The Australian government sent Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) aircrews and a number of Royal Australian Navy (RAN) ships to fight for Britain, as well as raising a volunteer force, the Second Australian Imperial Force (AIF). In the speech he made on 3 September 1939 Robert Gordon Menzies, the Australian Prime Minister, announced:

"Fellow Australians, it is my melancholy duty to inform you officially, that in consequence of a persistence by Germany in her invasion of Poland, Great Britain has declared war upon her and that, as a result, Australia is also at war. No harder task can fall to the lot of a democratic leader than to make such an announcement."

1976  -             U.S. spacecraft Viking 2 lands on Mars to take the first close-up photographs of the planet's surface.

Each Viking mission to Mars consisted of an orbiter and a lander. Viking 1 was the first to arrive on the surface of Mars, on 20 July 1976, making history as the first time a robotic spacecraft touched down on the planet. Viking 2 was launched on 9 September 1975 and entered the orbit of Mars on 7 August 1976. The Viking 2 Lander touched down at Utopia Planitia a month later, on 3 September 1976.

The Viking landers contained instruments for examining the physical and magnetic properties of the soil and for analysing the atmosphere and weather patterns of Mars. They transmitted images of the surface, took surface samples and analysed them for composition and signs of life, and deployed seismometers. The Viking 2 Lander operated on the surface for 1,281 Mars days and ended communications on 11 April 1980 when its batteries failed.

Cheers - John

Gday...

1873  -             Colonel Warburton captures an Aboriginal woman with the intent of forcing her to reveal the whereabouts of native wells.

Peter Egerton Warburton was born on 15 August 1813, at Northwich, Cheshire. He joined the navy at the tender age of 12 and served for many years in India before retiring in 1853. He then came to Australia, whereupon he was appointed to command the Police Forces of the Colony of South Australia, an office he held until 1867. It was during this time that he developed his love of exploring.

Warburton's goal was to complete the first crossing of the central Australian continent from east to west. In 1872 he was selected by Sir Thomas Elder, a Member of the Legislative Council, to lead an expedition in an attempt to find a route from central Australia to Perth, and to report on what sort of country lay in between. Warburton's expedition was the first in Australia to use only camels, and no horses at all. Travelling through the desert was hard-going, and scarcity of water was huge problem. Warburton was notorious for capturing Aboriginal women hoping to force them to reveal where native wells were located. On 30 August 1873, Warburton captured one young native girl, but she escaped by gnawing through the thick hair rope used to secure her to a tree. On 4 September 1873, Warburton recorded the following:

"A howling hideous old hag was captured, and worried by the former escape, we secured this old witch by tying her thumbs behind her back, and haltering her by the neck to a tree;during which time we had to watch her by turns, or she would have got away also."

In the end, the old woman was released, as she was clearly leading the party away from native wells.

2006  -             Australian icon, Steve Irwin, is killed by a stingray.

Stephen Robert "Steve" Irwin was born on 22 February 1962 in Essendon, Melbourne, Victoria. He moved to Queensland when he was still a child, where his parents developed and ran the Queensland Reptile and Fauna Park. For his sixth birthday, young Steve received his greatest wish - his very own 3.6m long scrub python for a pet.

Steve grew up learning how to catch and care for crocodiles. He used his skills to assist the Queensland Government's East Coast Crocodile Management program, which involved, among other ventures, catching North Queensland crocodiles. In 1991, Irwin took over the running of the reptile park, which was later renamed "Australia Zoo".

As a passionate environmentalist, Irwin became known for the television program "The Crocodile Hunter", an unconventional wildlife documentary series which he hosted with his wife Terri Irwin. Irwin's outgoing personality, energetic vitality and outrageous antics in the series made him an international celebrity. He also starred in Animal Planet documentaries, including The Croc Files, The Crocodile Hunter Diaries, and New Breed Vets.

Australia lost one of its most popular icons and ambassadors in the early afternoon of 4 September 2006. Steve Irwin was filming an underwater documentary off the Great Barrier Reef, when he was fatally pierced in the heart by a stingray barb. He is survived by his wife Terri, daughter Bindi, born in 1998 and son Robert (Bob), born in 2004. The family intends to continue Steve's remarkable legacy of caring for a variety of wildlife, and raising environmental awareness across the world.

Cheers - John

Gday...

1699  -             Sea explorer William Dampier departs 'New Holland' after sailing along the western coastline for five days.

The first European to "discover" Australia was not Captain Cook. Numerous Dutch and Portuguese explorers had mapped sections of coastline of the "Great South Land" prior to Cook. Nor was he the first English sea captain to land on Australian soil. That honour went to William Dampier.

Dampier was born in 1652. As an experienced sea captain and pirate, he became the first Englishman to explore and map parts of New Holland and New Guinea. In 1688, he landed briefly at King Sound near Buccaneer Archipelago on the north-west coast of Australia. He was unimpressed by the dry, barren landscape, the lack of water and what he described as the "miserablest people in the world" - the native population.

Eleven years later, he was back, after the British Admiralty commissioned Dampier to chart the north-west coast, hoping to find a strategic use for 'New Holland'. He arrived at Shark Bay in the west, and spent five days exploring north. Having failed to find any fresh water, Dampier departed Roebuck Bay in disgust on 5 September 1699.

1880  -             The first Salvation Army meeting in Australia is held in Adelaide.

The Salvation Army began on 2 July 1865 when William Booth preached the first of nine sermons in a tattered tent on an unused Quaker cemetery in London. Initially running under the name of the East London Christian Mission, Booth and his wife held meetings every evening and on Sundays, to offer repentance, Salvation and Christian ethics to the poorest and most needy, including alcoholics, criminals and prostitutes. Booth and his followers practised what they preached, performing self-sacrificing Christian and social work, such as opening Food for the Millions shops (soup kitchens), not caring if they were scoffed at or derided for their Christian ministry work. In 1878, the organisation became known as the Salvation Army. They adopted a uniform and adapted Christian words to popular tunes sung in the public bars.

The first Salvation Army meeting in Australia was conducted from the back of a greengrocer's truck in Adelaide Botanic Park on 5 September 1880. It was initiated by Edward Saunders and John Gore, two men with no theological training, but who both had a heart for their fellow man's physical and spiritual condition. Saunders and Gore had been converted by the Salvation Army in London. With the words "If theres a man here who hasnt had a square meal today, let him come home to tea with me", the men began a ministry that was soon to expand throughout Australia.

1885  -             In the US, the first petrol pump, manufactured by Sylvanus F Bowser, is sold.

When automobiles were invented, the need became apparent for alternative fuel sources to power them. Coal gas, camphene and kerosene were inefficient fuels for the purpose, so petroleum became the fuel of choice. Early refiners could convert only a small percentage of their crude oil to petrol for cars. As automobiles became more common, there was increased need for higher quality in the fuels, to enhance the efficiency and power of engines. Once the refining system was improved, supply also became an issue. Whilst automobiles had not yet become available to the "man on the street", petrol-driven engines were emerging as more common in industry.

The first petrol pump (called gasoline in the USA) was manufactured by Sylvanus F Bowser of Fort Wayne, Indiana, in his barn. It was delivered to the very first petrol-pump owner, Jake D Gumper, on 5 September 1885. The pump tank used marble valves and wooden plungers, and had a capacity of one barrel or 42 gallons of petrol.

1994  -             Australia's first political assassination occurs.

John Newman was born John Naumenko on 8 December 1946 to Austrian and Yugoslavian parents. He already had a strong history of involvement in the Australian Labor Party and the union movement by the time he opted to change his surname by deed poll to Newman in 1972. From 1970 to 1986, he was a State union organiser with the Federated Clerks Union, and he undertook post-graduate studies in industrial law at the University of Sydney, along with numerous Trade Union Training Authority education programs.

Newman first represented Fairfield Council in 1977, a position he retained until 1986. He was Deputy Mayor in 198586 and also served as Acting Mayor in 1986. A by-election in the seat of Cabramatta saw Newman elected to the Legislative Assembly of New South Wales early in February 1986. Here, in an electorate populated by a wide range of southeast Asians, and in which there were underlying racial tensions, Newman undertook a protracted campaign to fight Asian organised crime and corruption: a fight for which he would pay the ultimate price.

At around 9:30pm on 5 September 1994, Newman was shot twice in the driveway of his home. This was Australia's first political murder.

It was four years before an arrest was made. In 2001, after three earlier trials, two of which were aborted and another which ended in a hung jury, former Fairfield City Councillor and local club owner, Phuong Ngo, who had a history of conflict with Newman, was convicted of the assassination.

1997  -             Mother Teresa, famous for ministering to lepers, the homeless and the poor in the slums of Calcutta, dies.

Mother Teresa was born Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu on 27 August 1910, in Skopje, Macedonia. When she was just 17, she joined the Sisters of Our Lady of Lareto, a Catholic order that did charity work in India. She founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950, which was a new order devoted to helping the sick, disabled and poor, and continued to tirelessly minister to the world's most needy people. The Missionaries of Charity now operates schools, hospitals, orphanages, and food centres in over 100 cities worldwide. Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979, "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace".

Mother Teresa died on 5 September 1997. She was given a full state funeral by the Indian Government, an honour normally given only to presidents and prime ministers. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II in October 2003.

Cheers - John

Gday...

1620  -             English emigrants on the pilgrim ship, the Mayflower, depart from Plymouth, England, on their way to the New World in America.

The 'Mayflower' was the first ship containing emigrants to arrive on American shores. It departed Plymouth, England, on 6 September 1620, with 102 men, woman and children passengers. This group is known as the Pilgrims. The Pilgrims departed England because of their desire for religious freedom. All religion in England was strictly dictated by the government, and all were required to conform to such dictates and restrictions. Individual beliefs and forms of worship were actively discouraged, by jailing, torture or, at worst, execution.

The Pilgrims wished to return to the simplicity of the church as seen in the example of the early churches in the New Testament; they did not want the rituals and restrictions of the Church of England. It was this freedom the Pilgrims sought when they left the shores of their homeland for the last time in 1620.

1941  -             Nazi Germany dictates that all Jews over the age of 6 must wear the Star of David in public.

The World War II holocaust was the mass genocide of European Jews and others by the Nazis during World War II. Prior to the execution of hundreds of thousands of Jews, policies paved the way for the Nazis to quickly identify the people they sought to decimate.

On 6 September 1941, the German SS announced the policy of compulsory display of the Jewish symbol, the Star of David, to take effect on September 19, in all German-occupied areas. The policy stated that Jews who were over six years old were forbidden to show themselves in public without the Jewish Star. This consisted of a six-pointed star, outlined with black superscription, and with the word "Jude" (German for Jew) inscribed. It was required to be sewn on securely, and clearly visible on the left breast of clothing. At the same time, the policy was also announced prohibiting Jews from leaving their residential areas without police permission.

1972  -             Nine Israeli athletes being held hostage are killed in a bungled rescue attempt during the Munich Olympic Games.

The 1972 Olympic Games were held in Munich, Germany. On September 5, with six days of the Olympics left to run, 8 Palestinian terrorists stormed the apartment building that housed the Israeli athletes in the Olympic Village. Two Israeli athletes were killed and nine more were taken as hostages. The terrorists demanded the release of over 200 Palestinians serving time in Israeli jails. Negotiations continued over the next 24 hours, but unsuccessfully. The next day, 6 September 1972, the terrorists took the hostages to the Furstenfeldbruck military airbase, where they intended to procure a flight back to the Middle East.

At the airport, police snipers opened fire, killing three of the Palestinians. In the ensuing gun battle, the terrorists blew up a helicopter with the hostages inside and then opened fire on the wreckage with automatic weapons. All nine of the hostages were killed, together with one policeman and two more terrorists. The remaining terrorists were captured, but eight weeks later were released when two Palestinians hijacked a plane in Beirut and demanded their release. The West German government immediately agreed to their demands, and they were flown to Libya. After this, Mossad, the Israeli Secret Service, formed a special unit to hunt down and kill all those responsible for the deaths of the Israeli athletes.

Cheers - John

Gday...

1815  -             Australian explorer John McDouall Stuart is born.

John McDouall Stuart was born in Dysart, Fife, Scotland, on 7 September 1815. He arrived in South Australia in 1839. He had a passion for exploration and gained experience when he was employed as a draughtsman by Captain Charles Sturt on an expedition into the desert interior. Sturt hoped to find the inland sea which had eluded him since he first followed the Murray River in the late 1820s. All the explorers found was Sturt's Stony Desert and the Simpson Desert. After Sturt's second-in-command, James Poole, died of scurvy, Sturt appointed Stuart in his place. Both men survived to return to Adelaide, but suffered greatly from scurvy. The effects of this remained with Stuart for a year, and returned to haunt him later during his own explorations in the early 1860s.

Following his experience with Sturt, Stuart was determined to cross Australia from south to north. It was on his fifth expedition and third attempt to cross the continent that he succeeded, returning alive, blinded from scurvy, but alive. His health suffered for the rest of his life, and he died in 1866, aged fifty years.

1825  -             Major Edmund Lockyer arrives in Brisbane to explore the upper reaches of the Brisbane River.

Edmund Lockyer was born on 21 January 1784 in Plymouth, Devon. He arrived as a British soldier in Sydney, New South Wales, in 1825.

Later in 1825, Lockyer was given command of an expedition to explore the upper reaches of the Brisbane River, which ticket-of-leave convicts Pamphlett, Finnegan and Parsons had discovered, and informed explorer John Oxley about, in 1823. A new convict settlement had been established on the Brisbane River after the 1824 attempt to colonise the Redcliffe Peninsula had failed, due to lack of fresh water. Lockyer's commission was to explore further up the Brisbane River and report to the Governor.

The expedition left Sydney on 2 September 1825 in the cutter "Mermaid" and arrived at Brisbane on 7 September. Lockyer then used a smaller boat to explore the river. He became the first to sight coal on the banks near the junction of the (now) Bremer and Brisbane Rivers.

Lockyer later went on to lead an expedition to claim Western Australia for Britain. He established a military base at King Georges Sound which originally bore the name of Frederick's Town: it was later renamed Albany.

Major Lockyer died on 10 June 1860. The Lockyer Valley and Lockyer Creeks west of Brisbane are now named after Edmund Lockyer, first explorer of the southeast beyond the coastal waters.

1876  -             C J Dennis, Australian journalist, poet and author of 'The Sentimental Bloke', is born.

C J Dennis was born Clarence Michael James Dennis on 7 September 1876. Born in Auburn, South Australia, as the son of a publican, he was brought up by his prudish aunts. He was keen on writing from a young age, and several of his early verses were published in the 'Critic' in 1898. Dennis became editor of the 'Critic' in 1904, and two years later he helped launch the satirical weekly magazine, 'The Gadfly'. After this, he worked as a freelance journalist in Melbourne, until his big success, 'The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke'.

'The Sentimental Bloke', as it came to be known, was a love story, written in slang. Initially rejected by a Melbourne publisher, it was picked up by Angus and Robertson and published in 1915. It became an immediate success for its irreverent larrikinism and use of Australian slang.

C J Dennis continued to write other satirical verses which were also popular. He died in 1939.

1936  -             Buddy Holly, rock 'n' roll singer of the 1950s, is born.

Buddy Holly was born Charles Hardin Holley on 7 September, 1936, in Lubbock, Texas. Growing up in a musically-minded family, he played the violin, piano and guitar, and debuted in country and western music. He moved into the arena of rock 'n' roll, and became one of the first to use overdubbing and double-tracking during production of his music. He is best known for the songs "That'll Be The Day" and "Peggy Sue."

Buddy Holly was killed in a plane crash in 1959, along with fellow rock 'n' roll musicians Ritchie Valens and J.P. "The Big Bopper" Richardson. His death was recorded as 'the day the music died' in Don McLean's classic 'American Pie'.

1936  -             The last known Thylacine, or Tasmanian Tiger, dies.

The Thylacine is, or was, a carnivorous marsupial living in Australia, specifically the island of Tasmania, up until the twentieth century. It is believed that the Thylacine existed on the Australian mainland until the introduction of the dingo. Although the Thylacine is often called the Tasmanian Tiger or Tasmanian Wolf, it is neither of these. Its body was similar in shape to that of the placental wolf, but it was a marsupial, putting it in an entirely different class. It stood about 60cm tall, with a body length of up to 130cm, not including its tail, up to 66cm long.

With the arrival of the European settlers in Tasmania, the Thylacine was doomed. Farmers shot the creatures, fearing their threat to livestock, while hunters prized them as trophies; these acts were supported by the government of the time which offered a bounty of one pound for every dead adult Thylacine and ten shillings for each dead Thylacine joey.

The last known specimen of the Thylacine died in the Hobart Zoo on 7 September 1936. The last captive animals were exhibited in zoos, where their needs were not understood, and the Thylacines in Hobart died from exposure. Despite numerous apparent "sightings" over the years, not one of these has ever been confirmed, and the Thylacine is now officially classified as Extinct.

1986  -             The last section of the sealed National Highway around Australia is completed, between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek.

The first road in Australia, outside of Sydney, was completed in 1815. William Cox was commissioned to build the road to Bathurst, using convict labour. The original Great Western Highway covered 161 km and incorporated twelve bridges. This road was just the first step in the highway network that would eventually extend across and around the entire continent.

The National Highway Act was initiated in 1974 as a means to establish a fully sealed national highway around Australia. The Federal government funded the building of the highways, although construction and maintenance was the responsibility of the various State and Territory Governments. The final section of the sealed highway around Australia was opened on 7 September 1986. It had taken five years to widen and seal the 289 kilometre section of the Great Northern Highway between Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek in Western Australia. Although other sections of the National Highway were rerouted in ensuing years, the Fitzroy Crossing-Halls Creek link was considered to be the last section to be sealed.

Cheers - John

Gday...

1792  -             The first convict is believed to have been buried in the Old Sydney Burial Ground.

The Old Sydney Burial Ground is also known as the George Street Burial Ground, the Cathedral Close Cemetery or the Town Hall Cemetery. Bordered by George, Druitt, Bathurst and Kent Streets, it was laid out in 1793 by Governor Phillip and Reverend Johnson. Before it was officially set out, Phillip and Rev Johnson chose the site in September 1792, as it was far enough away from the main settlement to not pose a health hazard. The first interment was a convict named Michael Dunn, who was believed to have been buried at the site on 8 September 1792.

Around 2300 people, both convicts and free settlers, were interred at the Old Sydney Burial Ground before 1820, when a new burial ground was opened on Brickfield Hill, later the site of Central Railway Station. In 1869, the site needed to be cleared for the construction of the Sydney Town Hall, so the Old Burial Ground was moved to Haslem's Creek, to become the Rookwood Cemetery.

1854  -             The handle of the public water pump in Broad St, London is removed in an attempt to end the deadly cholera epidemic.

Cholera was a common disease in previous centuries. Poor sanitation contributed significantly to outbreaks and the spread of cholera, but at the time, it was not known that this was the cause. London was one of many cities which suffered numerous cholera outbreaks, and it was hit by yet another in 1854.

John Snow was a doctor who had served as both colliery surgeon and unqualified assistant during the 1831-32 London Cholera epidemic. He then studied at the Huntierian School of Medicine in London and, within two years, was accepted into the Royal College of Surgeons of England. He graduated from the University of London in 1844. Snow believed that cholera developed and was transmitted via contaminated food and water, a theory he propounded in his 1849 publication, "On the Mode of Communication of Cholera". This was contrary to the prevailing belief that cholera was transmitted by inhaling contaminated vapours. Snow had neither evidence nor proof to back up his beliefs.

When London was again hit by a cholera epidemic, this time in 1854, Snow meticulously plotted the location of deaths resulting from the diseases. From this, he extrapolated the likely centre of contamination, noting that up to 500 deaths had occurred in under two weeks near the intersection of Cambridge and Broad Street. This prompted Snow to meet with the Board of Guardians of St. James's parish and demand the removal of the handle from the water pump on Broad St, which was freely accessed by the public. The handle was duly removed on 8 September 1854. An immediate reduction in deaths was reported, and the epidemic contained.

Although the evidence seemed clear, controversy dogged Snow's theory for years after the event. Some were of the belief that the epidemic had already reached its climax at the time of Snow's action, whilst others believed that Snow only mapped the locations after the removal of the pump handle. Nonetheless, credit goes to Snow for his bold actions, and the fact that his theory that cholera was transmitted through contaminated water was subsequently proved viable.

1900  -             8000 are killed when Galveston, Texas, is hit by a powerful hurricane.

Galveston is a city in Texas, on Galveston Island on the Gulf Coast of the United States. It was also the location of one the deadliest ever natural disasters in the United States.

The Great Galveston Hurricane was a category 4 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with wind gusts up to 217 kilometres per hour. The hurricane made landfall at Galveston during mid-afternoon on 8 September 1900. The estimated death toll was between 6,000 and 12,000, while the official number was cited as 8,000.

The high death toll was attributed to a number of factors. The inhabitants of the city were familiar with the vagaries of the weather, so early morning warnings in the form of dark skies, high tides and heavy swells went unheeded. A fifteen-foot high wall of water preceded the hurricane, swamping the low-lying city. Extreme wind gusts hurled entire rows of houses into subsequent rows, and people were hit by flying bricks and slate roofs.

To minimise the effects of future hurricanes, a solid seawall was built along Gakveston's ocean front. The city authorities commenced extensive work raising buildings by up to seventeen feet by pumping sand beneath foundations. Of lasting economic impact, however, was the decision by several shipping companies to move their operations further north to Houston, where there was a safer harbour.

1921  -             Harry Secombe, singer, comedian and actor, is born.

Harry Secombe was born on 8 September 1921 in Swansea, South Wales. He was one of the original Goons of the Goon Show, a British radio comedy programme originally produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1951 to 1960 on the BBC Home Service. Secombe appeared in the radio series as Neddy Seagoon, and played alongside "Goons" founder Spike Milligan, and Peter Sellers. He appeared in a variety of stage musicals, including Pickwick in 1963 and The Four Musketeers in 1967, and he also starred in the 1968 musical film "Oliver!" Harry Secombe was knighted in 1981, and died on 11 April 2001.

1925  -             Peter Sellers, British comedian and actor, is born.

Peter Sellers was born Richard Henry Sellers in Southsea, Hampshire, England, on 8 September 1925. His early entertainment experience came from playing the ukelele, banjo and drums for jazz bands. Sellers was one of the original Goons of the Goon Show, a British radio comedy programme originally produced and broadcast by the BBC from 1951 to 1960 on the BBC Home Service. Sellers appeared in the radio series alongside "Goons" founder Spike Milligan, and Harry Secombe, who shared Sellers's birthday. He moved on to television and films. Sellers died on 24 July 1980, from a heart attack.

1943  -             Italy's surrender to the Allies in WWII is announced.

Prior to World War II, Italy had allied itself with Hitler's Germany. The Italian forces had been defeated in northern Africa and the Balkans, reducing support for Italian dictator Benito Mussolini and his leadership. Mussolini was ousted in July 1943 by the Italian Fascist Party's Grand Council: the Italian military then took over and negotiated a surrender to Anglo-American forces, which was announced on 8 September 1953. According to the commander in chief of Allied forces in the Mediterranean, General Eisenhower, Italy had agreed to end all hostilities with the United Nations.

Four days after the announcement, German troops acted swiftly to free Mussolini from where he was being held in detention. After his rescue, he set up and became leader of the Italian Socialist Republic in German-held northern Italy. Two years later, he was arrested again by Italian partisans, and executed.

1966  -             Science fiction series 'Star Trek' airs for the first time.

Star Trek, the science fiction series which went on to spawn many more spinoff series and films, was created by Gene Roddenberry and debuted on 8 September 1966. Set in the 23rd century, Star Trek follows the adventures of the Starship Enterprise and her crew. Initially, the series did not rate well, and only a sustained campaign by its devoted fans kept the series going through two more seasons.

The show's success came after it was sold into syndication, and stations were able to air it at times more suited to its fans and potential audience. A new audience created a broad market for the franchise, thus paving the way for the success of six Star Trek movies based around the characters of the original series. The first of the spinoff series, 'Star Trek: the Next Generation', premiered in 1987.

Cheers - John

Gday...

1754  -             Captain William Bligh, known best for his role in the mutiny on the 'Bounty', is born.

William Bligh was born in Plymouth, south-west England, on 9 September 1754. He was only 8 when he first went to sea. At age 22, he was chosen to join Captain Cook's crew on the 'Resolution', and became commander of the 'HMAV Bounty' eleven years later.

The famous mutiny on the Bounty occurred after Bligh left Tahiti on his way to the Caribbean. For reasons undetermined by historical records, Master's Mate Fletcher Christian led the mutiny, with the support of a small number of the ship's crew. Bligh and his own supporters were provided with a 7m launch, a sextant and enough provisions to enable them to reach the closest ports, but no means of navigation. Bligh chose not to head for the closer Spanish ports, which would have slowed down the process of bringing the mutineers to justice, but instead completed a 41 day journey to Timor. From here, he stood a better chance of communicating quickly to British vessels which could pursue the mutineers.

Bligh became Governor of New South Wales in 1805, but another mutiny, the Rum Rebellion, caused him to be imprisoned from 1808 to 1810. He was exonerated in 1811, after which he returned to England.

1803  -             The Lady Nelson arrives in Van Diemens Land, now Tasmania, in preparation for the first British settlement.

The first European to discover Tasmania was Dutch trader Abel Tasman in November 1642. Tasman discovered the previously unknown island on his voyage past the "Great South Land", which he later called "New Holland". He named the island "Antony Van Diemen's Land" in honour of the High Magistrate, or Governor-General of Batavia.

After the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788, Captain Arthur Phillip claimed the entire eastern coast for the British Empire, including Van Diemens Land, though it was not yet known to be separate from the mainland. Tasman believed Van Diemens Land to be part of New Holland, and it was not until 1798-99 that Matthew Flinders and George Bass proved Van Diemens Land to be an island.

In order to offset continuing French interests in southern parts of Australia, Lieutenant John Gordon Bowen was sent to establish the first British settlement in Van Diemen's Land. The ship Lady Nelson arrived at Risdon Cove on 9 September 1803, and Bowen arrived on The Albion three days later to establish a settlement on the Derwent River. There were 49 people in the initial settlement party.

Lieutenant-Governor David Collins, who had abandoned the new settlement at Sorrento on Port Phillip Bay due to lack of fresh water, arrived at Risdon Cove a month later. Unimpressed with the site chosen by Bowen, Collins moved the settlement to Sullivans Cove on the Derwent River in 1804. This settlement was later renamed Hobart Town.

1839  -             Darwin Harbour, where the city of Darwin now stands, is discovered and named.

The city of Darwin, capital of the Northern Territory, Australia is located on Darwin Harbour. The land was originally occupied by the Larrakia people of the Top End who had already been trading with the Macassans for many years before European settlers came. The first Europeans to the area were Dutch traders who visited Australia's northern coastline in the 1600s, charting the first European maps of the region.

Darwin Harbour was first discovered by Captain of the HMS Beagle, John Lort Stokes, on 9 September 1839 and named "Port Darwin" after British naturalist Charles Darwin, who had been on the Beagle on a previous journey. The harbour was initially not settled, as Port Essington, 300 kilometres north, was regarded as a more strategic site for settlement and a better prospect to offset any intended French colonisation of Australia's far north coast. Like other settlements along the northern coastline which preceded it, Port Essington floundered for some years, eventually being abandoned.

After John McDouall Stuart made the first successful crossing of Australia in 1862, this opened the way for the construction of the Overland Telegraph Line from Adelaide to the north coast, opening Australia to direct communication with the rest of the world. Thus, the settlement of Darwin was more successful than previous incursions into settling the north coast as it was to serve a very important link in this communication. Darwins first white settlers arrived on 5 February 1869. The town was initially named Palmerston after the Prime Minister of Britain, Lord Palmerston, Henry Temple. However, all shipping to the area was consigned to "Port Darwin". In 1911, when South Australia handed control of its northern half to the Commonwealth of Australia, the name Darwin was officially adopted.

1880  -             Australian pioneer in physical therapy for polio sufferers, Sister Elizabeth Kenny, is born.

Australian nurse Elizabeth Kenny was a pioneer in physical therapy. Born on 20 September 1880 at Kelly's Gully, a township just west of the New South Wales town of Warialda, her family then moved to the small town of Nobby on the Darling Downs, near Toowoomba, Queensland.

An accident during her teenage years, in which she broke her wrist, sparked her interest in anatomy. Whilst recovering, Elizabeth keenly questioned her doctor and mentor, Dr. Aeneas McDonnell, about the workings of the human body. Though untrained, in 1911 she began working as a bush nurse in the area, even starting up a hospital in nearby Clifton. At the outbreak of World War I, she volunteered to serve as a nurse. Due to the dire need for nurses, the untrained Kenny was accepted to work on soldier transport ships, and the experience she gained in this venture earned her the official title of "Sister".

Sister Kenny continued to work as a nurse after the war, and even improved the design of stretchers used in ambulances on the Darling Downs. Marketing the stretcher as the "Sylvie Stretcher", Kenny gave the profits to the Australian Country Women's Association who managed sales and manufacture of the invention. Her initiative gained the attention of a family on a cattle station near Townsville, who arranged for her to come and care for their daughter who had been disabled by polio. Her methods of care and treatment enabled the girl to completely recover. She gradually achieved acclaim for her methods by the many polio-stricken children she treated and cured, but criticism from the medical fraternity for her lack of training.

Unlike other methods of the time, Kenny's treatment opposed immobilising affected limbs with casts or braces. She advocated treating children during the acute stage of polio and using hot compresses. However, doctors would not permit her to treat patients until after the first stage of the disease or until muscle spasms had ceased. Instead, she designed a programme of passive exercises to stimulate function.

Kenny's pioneering methods were gradually adopted by more physicians as she travelled to the USA to promote them. During her 11-year stay in America, she opened numerous Kenny Treatment Centres. Although her processes were criticised by many doctors, her dramatic results in affected children spoke for themselves. Her lasting legacy is her methodology for rehabilitating muscles, which formed the foundation for physical therapy, or what is commonly known as physiotherapy.

Kenny returned to Australia in 1951, and died on 30 November 1952. Her grave lies in Nobby Cemetery.

1890  -             Colonel Harland Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken, is born.

Harland Sanders was born in Henryville, Indiana, USA, on 9 September 1890. As his father died when he was young, and his mother had to work to support her children, Sanders learned to cook for his family. He worked a number of jobs through his youth, until he finally acquired a service station in Corbin, Kentucky, where he began to cook chicken for patrons. As his popularity grew, he was employed as a chef in a motel and restaurant, where he began perfecting the recipe that would eventually become a household name. He used the same 11 herbs and spices which are used in KFC today, and his use of a pressure cooker enhanced the process by ensuring quicker cooking, which helped seal in the flavour. Sanders was made an honorary Kentucky colonel in 1935 by Governor Ruby Laffoon.

2000  -             For the first time in history, the hole in the ozone layer over Antarctica extends over a populated city.

The Earth's ozone layer protects all life from the sun's harmful radiation, by absorbing ultra-violet light. Whilst ozone molecules are constantly being formed and destroyed in the stratosphere, man's use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) has depleted the ozone layer. CFCs are used as refrigerants, solvents and fire extinguishing agents. Scientific research has found that CFCs release chlorine or bromine when they break down and winds drive the CFCs into the stratosphere, thereby damaging the protective ozone layer. Depletion of the ozone layer has been correlated with higher levels of cancer in humans and animals.

The depletion of the ozone layer is most obvious over the Antarctic, where scientists carefully monitor the size of a hole in the layer. The Antarctic ozone hole was discovered in 1985 by British scientists Joseph Farman, Brian Gardiner and Jonathan Shanklin of the British Antarctic Survey. Since its discovery, the hole has gradually increased in size.

Beginning on 9 September 2000 and continuing to September 10th, the ozone hole covered about 29.7 million square km, about three times larger than the entire land mass of the United States, stretching over a populated city for the first time. Approximately 120,000 residents of Punta Arenas, a city in southern Chile, were exposed to very high levels of ultra violet radiation. After reaching this peak, the hole then began to slowly shrink again in its usual fashion.

Cheers - John