Gday...

1506  -     Christopher Columbus, discoverer of the "New World", dies, believing all his journeys had been along the East Coast of Asia. 

Christopher Columbus was born circa 30 October 1451: there is some doubt as to his actual country and region of birth. Columbus was determined to pioneer a western sea route to China, India, and the fabled gold and spice islands of Asia. On 3 August 1492 Columbus set sail from Palos, Spain, with three small ships, the Santa Marýa, the Pinta, and the Niña. During his journeys, Columbus explored the West Indies, South America, and Central America. He became the first explorer and trader to cross the Atlantic Ocean and sight the land of the Americas, on 12 October 1492, under the flag of Castile, a former kingdom of modern day Spain. It is most probable that the land he first sighted was Watling Island in the Bahamas.

Columbus returned to Spain laden with gold and new discoveries from his travels, including the previously unknown tobacco plant and the pineapple fruit. The success of his first expedition prompted his commissioning for a second voyage to the New World, and he set out from Cýdiz in September 1493. He explored Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico and various smaller Caribbean islands, and further ensuing explorations yielded discoveries such as Venezuela. Through all this, Columbus believed that he was travelling to parts of Asia. He believed Hispaniola was Japan, and that the peaks of Cuba were the Himalayas of India.

Although passionate about converting the world to Christianity, Columbus fell out with the Spanish King and Queen, as he repeatedly suggested slavery as a way to profit from the new colonies. These suggestions were all rejected by the monarchs, who preferred to view the natives as future members of Christendom. Columbus was stripped of his governorship of Hispaniola for mismanagement and his treatment of rebellious settlers and Indians. Thus, although he became wealthy as a result of his explorations, he was not given the rewards he felt he was due. Columbus died on 20 May 1506, still believing that he had found the route to the Asian continent.

1867  -     Copper is first discovered in Queensland, sparking the founding of the town of Cloncurry. 

Copper is a highly valued metal, known to have been used throughout recorded history. It has high elecrtical conductivity, enabling its use in electrical and mechanical applications, and it is also valued in plumbing as it does not corrode.

Australia has copper mines in each of its states and territories except for Victoria and the ACT. The earliest copper deposits to be discovered were in South Australia, New South Wales followed with its own deposits, and the next major discovery was in Queensland. Ernest Henry was an explorer and prospector, born in England in 1837. He explored the far western Queensland area from 1866, discovering copper on 20 May 1867. In doing so, he became the founder of the town of Cloncurry.

1927  -     Charles Lindbergh becomes the first person to fly solo and non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. 

Charles Augustus Lindbergh was born on 4 February 1902 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. Displaying an interest in machines from an early age, Lindbergh enrolled in a mechanical engineering program, but quit when he was eighteen. He then joined a pilot and mechanist training programme with Nebraska Aircraft, bought his own airplane and became a stunt pilot. In 1924, he started training as a US military aviator with the United States Army Air Corps. After finishing first in his class, he worked as a civilian airmail pilot on the St Louis line in the 1920s.

Lindbergh is most famous for being the first pilot to fly solo and non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean. He departed from Roosevelt Airfield, Long Island, New York City on 20 May 1927 on his way to Paris in his single-engine airplane, The Spirit of St Louis. Whilst 500 people saw him off at Long Island, 100,000 awaited his arrival in France. The journey took him 33.5 hours and won him the Orteig Prize of $25,000.

Cheers - John