Gday...

1788  -     Governor Arthur Phillip sends a despatch to the British under-secretary of state, detailing the dire situation with rations in the New South Wales colony.

When Governor Arthur Phillip raised the British flag at Port Jackson on 26 January 1788, high hopes were held for the development of a self-sufficient colony in New South Wales. Problems arose very early, however. Much of the grain that the British had brought on the First Fleet had either gone mouldy or had been eaten by rats, so little grain remained to be planted. The English tools were not strong enough to clear the tough vegetation or to break up the soil for ploughing and planting, and broke easily. The convicts themselves were disinclined to work, a situation made worse by the hot and humid conditions. Very few of them had experience in farming. As a result, the colony faced near-starvation in its first two years, and Phillip had to bring in drastic measures to preserve the remaining food until supplies could be replenished.

Rations had to be meted out very carefully until farms could start producing crops. Many convicts were hungry enough to steal food, and punishment for theft was severe, ranging from lashing with a cat o' nine tails, or even death by hanging. On 5 July 1788, in a despatch to the under-secretary of state, Evan Nepean, Phillip detailed the weekly rations awarded to both working male convicts and the marines who guarded them. These men received "7 pounds of bread or in lieu thereof 7 pounds of flour, 7 pounds of beef or in lieu thereof pork, 3 pins of pease, 6 ounces of butter, 1 pound of flour or in lieu thereof 12 pounds of rice". Women were given two-thirds of this amount and most of the children received one-third.

Fortunately, thanks to Phillip's forethought, Sydney was saved from complete starvation. The Norfolk Island colony, established soon after the arrival of the First Fleet, proved to be crucial, developing as a farm and supplying Sydney with grain and vegetables during the early years of the colony's near-starvation.

1905  -     Australia's second Prime Minister, Alfred Deakin, commences his second term.

Alfred Deakin was born on 3 August 1856 in Fitzroy, Melbourne, Australia. In 1879, Deakin gained a seat in the colonial Parliament of Victoria, and after holding office in several ministries, he began to turn his efforts towards the push for Federation. Following Federation in 1901, he was elected to the first federal Parliament as MP for Ballarat, becoming Attorney-General in Prime Minister Edmund Barton's government.

Deakin succeeded Barton as Prime Minister in 1902 when the latter retired. Deakin's own Protectionist Party did not hold a majority in either house, and he was unwilling to accept aspects of Labor's legislation, so he retired in 1904. Watson and Reid succeeded him, but when they proved unable to maintain a stable ministry, Deakin was returned to office, on 5 July 1905. He was pushed out by the Labor Party in 1908, but after forming a coalition with Reid, Deakin again returned as Prime Minister in 1909 heading up a majority government, a position he held until his defeat at the polls in 1910. Deakin retired from politics altogether in 1913, and died in 1919.

1954  -     The BBC in Britain broadcasts its first daily television news programme.

Prior to the advent of live news broadcasting, television studios relayed news in the form of Newsreels. Being prepared ahead of time, Newsreels consisted of news events already a day or more old. Britain's first television news programme was broadcast on the BBC on 5 July 1954. The bulletin went for 20 minutes and was read by Richard Baker. The newsreader was not shown, but his voice was heard reading the current news, while headlines, still photographs and maps were shown on the screen. Richard Baker went on to become best known as the anchor man for the BBC news from 1954 to 1982.

1996  -     Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to be successfully cloned from an adult cell, is born.

Dolly the sheep was created at the Roslin Institute in Scotland. The cell from which she was cloned was taken from a six year old ewe. Whilst she was born on 5 July 1996, scientists did not announce her birth until February 22 of the following year. The cloning technique used in the creation of Dolly was somatic cell nuclear transfer, in which the nucleus from one of the donor's non-reproductive cells is placed into a de-nucleated embryonic cell and coaxed into developing into a foetus.

Dolly died from complications related to a lung infection on 14 February 2003. There has been ongoing controversy since Dolly's birth and death, particularly revolving around the suggestion that Dolly was subject to premature ageing, as the cell from which she was cloned was taken from a 6 year old sheep.

Cheers - John