Gday...

1173  -             Construction begins on the Tower of Pisa, which is later to become the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa.

The Leaning Tower of Pisa is the bell tower, or campanile, of the cathedral in Pisa's Campo dei Miracoli (field of Miracles). The tower took nearly 200 years to complete, being finished in 1372.

The first floor of the white marble construction was commenced on 9 August 1173. After the third floor was built in 1178, the tower developed a lean, due to having only a three-metre foundation in weak, unstable subsoil. Constant battles between the Pisans and Genoa, Lucca and Florence halted the tower's construction for another 100 years, during which time the soil was able to settle more. The final floor, the bell chamber, was completed in 1372.

The tower was in serious danger of toppling completely by 1964, when the Italian government sought aid and advice in preserving its famous icon. Following decades of consultation and preparatory efforts, the tower was closed to the public in January 1990, remaining closed until December 2001 while corrective reconstruction and stabilisation work was implemented. The excessive lean of the tower was corrected by removing 38 cubic metres of soil from underneath the raised end: it is expected to remain stable for another 300 years.

1851  -             Gold is discovered at Sovereign Hill, near Ballarat, in Victoria.

Gold was discovered in Australia as early as the 1830s, but discoveries were kept secret, for fear of sparking off unrest among the convicts. The discoveries were usually made by farmers who did not want to subject their sheep and cattle runs to a sudden influx of prospectors and lawlessness that would inevitably follow. However, as more people left the Australian colonies to join the gold rush in California, it became apparent that the outward tide of manpower would need to be stemmed. The government began to seek experts who could locate gold in Australian countrysides.

Gold was first officially discovered in Australia in 1851, not far from Bathurst, New South Wales. Edward Hargraves had carefully studied the geology of the area and, convinced that it was similar to that of the California goldfields, from where he had just returned, went prospecting. He enlisted the assistance of John Lister, a man who had already found gold in the region. Lister led Hargraves directly to where gold was found, at Summerhill Creek, at a site which Hargraves named "Ophir".

Less than three months later, on 9 August 1851, Victoria had its first gold strike at Sovereign Hill near Ballarat, in the same month it gained its independence from the NSW colony. While the Ballarat goldfields were rich and promising, the real goldrush began when gold was discovered at Mt Alexander, 60km northeast of Ballarat, and close to the town of Bendigo. Nowadays, Sovereign Hill offers a re-creation of life on the goldfields and in a goldmining town.

1890  -             The first recital is held on what was then the largest pipe organ in the world, the Grand Organ in the Sydney Town Hall.

The Grand Organ in the Sydney Town Hall was built by William Hill and Son in London. It was shipped to Sydney and installed in 1890. Having approximately 8,700 pipes, it was the largest organ in the world at the time, and is still the largest ever built with tubular-pneumatic action. Its five manuals (Choir, Great, Swell, Solo and Echo) and pedals have between them 126 speaking stops and 14 couplers. 4000 invited guests were present at the first recital, held on 9 August 1890, performed by W T Best, the City Organist from Liverpool, England. Mr Best had tested the organ in London before it was dismantled and shipped to Australia, and declared it "...a marvel of excellence in both tone and mechanism".

Due to deterioration in the organ's tone and function, the need for extensive restoration work became apparent during the 1950s and 60s, especially after the organ completely broke down in October 1971, causing performances to be cancelled. Sydney organbuilder Roger H Pogson gradually restored the instrument between 1972 and 1982. The Organ was reopened again on 11 December 1982 by Robert Ampt (appointed Sydney City Organist in 1978) with the ABC Sinfonia conducted by Helen Quach. 

1945  -             The United States drops a second atomic bomb, this time on the Japanese city of Nagasaki.

On the morning of 6 August 1945, the "Enola Gay", an American B-29 Superfortress dropped the first atomic bomb on Hiroshima in Japan. Another atomic bomb was dropped on Nagasaki three days later, on 9 August 1945, killing 74,000 immediately. However, the real death toll from the impact and the effects of the bomb was closer to 150,000, not including the effects on generations to come. Nagasaki was targeted as it is one of Japan's most important ports providing vital access to and from Shanghai. The destruction was limited to about 6.5 square kilometres as Nagasaki is surrounded by mountains.

President Truman issued the order to drop the bombs after Japan failed to act upon the Potsdam Declaration. The declaration had been issued 10 days previously, calling for the unconditional surrender of Japan.

Japan surrendered to the Allies on 14 August 1945.

1974  -             In the wake of the Watergate scandal, US President Richard Nixon resigns.

The Watergate scandal was an American political scandal and constitutional crisis that led to the resignation of US President Richard Nixon. It began with a burglary at the Watergate Apartment complex. On 17 June 1972, five men were caught searching through confidential papers and bugging the office of President Nixon's political opponents, the Democratic National Committee. One of the men, James McCord, was officially employed as Chief of Security at the Committee to Re-elect the President (CRP), indicating that the burglary was linked to US President Nixon's re-election campaign.

On 17 May 1973, the Senate Select Committee on Presidential Campaign Activities began televised proceedings on the escalating Watergate scandal. On 24 July 1973, it was revealed that that Nixon had secretly taped all conversations in the Oval Office. With this information available, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered President Richard Nixon to surrender the tape recordings. After prevaricating for three months, Nixon finally produced the tapes.

The break-in, resultant cover-up by Nixon and his aides, and the subsequent investigation ultimately led to the resignation of the President on 9 August 1974, preventing his impeachment by the Senate. When President Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon a month later, this prevented any criminal charges from being filed against the former president.

Cheers - John