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Post Info TOPIC: Today in History


Guru

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RE: Today in History


thanks John very interesting again.

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Dave S

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iv'e lost my glass.



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October 13 Today in History


Gday...

1307  -             King Philip IV of France arrests all the Knights Templars, spawning the superstition which surrounds Friday the 13th.

The order of the Knights Templar was founded around 1118 to protect pilgrims in the Holy Land during the Second Crusade. The order was recognised at the Council of Troyes in 1128 and confirmed by Pope Honorius III. The order grew to become one of the most powerful in Europe. The Knights Templar started lending money to Spanish pilgrims who wanted to travel to the Holy Land, and they gained wealth as the Church showered blessings and money on the order; but with the wealth came power and corruption. Pope Clement V urged Philip IV of France to find some means to extinguish their presence and power.

Thus it was that on 13 October 1307, Philip IV ordered the arrest of the entire order of Knights Templar in France, and had their possessions confiscated. This act served as the origin of the superstition which regards Friday the 13th as an unlucky day. The knights were put on trial and were tortured to extract confessions of sacrilegious practices, including heresy and witchcraft. Many were burnt and tortured, and under duress, admitted to a variety of heresies. These admissions were later retracted as being forced admissions. The leader of the Templars, Jacques de Molay, was executed on 18 March 1314, by which time the Templars had been virtually hunted out of existence.

1792  -             The cornerstone is laid for the White House in Washington DC.

The newly independent United States Government under the Constitution commenced in New York City on 4 March 1789. In 1790, the capital was moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The city was only ever intended to be a temporary capital while preparations were made for the new US Capital in a more central location. George Washington helped select the site for the new Capital, positioned along the Potomac River. The states of Maryland and Virginia ceded land around the Potomac River to form the District of Columbia: hence the capital is known as Washington DC.

Labour began on the new capital city in 1791, and on 13 October 1792, the cornerstone was laid for the new Presidential Palace. The building's white Virginia freestone, set amongst the red brick of surrounding buildings, soon earned it the name of the "White House".

1836  -             One of Mitchell's men drowns as his expedition returns from the successful 'Australia Felix' discovery.

Major Thomas Mitchell was born in Craigend, Scotland, in 1792. He came to Australia after serving in the Army during the Napoleonic Wars, and took up the position of Surveyor-General of New South Wales. He undertook four expeditions into the NSW interior. His third expedition is considered to be his most successful. His instructions were to follow the Lachlan and Murrumbidgee Rivers to the Murray, then on to the junction with the Darling River. He was then to follow the Darling upstream as far as Menindee to confirm that it was the same river he had initially followed south from northern New South Wales.

Discouraged by the desolate country around the southern end of the Darling, Mitchell decided to return to the Murray to explore its more fertile surrounds. Crossing the Murray near the Murrumbidgee junction, he passed through the rich farming country of western Victoria, naming it "Australia Felix", or "Happy Australia". After continuing down to the southern coast, he turned in a north-easterly direction back towards Sydney. It was during this stage of his journey that he suffered his only loss of one of his team. On 13 October 1836, whilst scouting out a suitable crossing site on the Broken River, an ex-convict named James Taylor fell off his horse and drowned.

1933  -             Australia's first traffic lights begin operating in Sydney.

The world's first traffic light was operating in London, England, even before the advent of the automobile. Installed at a London intersection in 1868, it was a revolving gas-lit lantern with red and green signals. However, on 2 January 1869, the light exploded, injuring the policeman who was operating it. It was not until the early 1900s that Garrett Morgan, an African-American living in Cleveland, Ohio, developed the electric automatic traffic light. Originally based on a semaphore-system, traffic lights gradually evolved through the years to become the red-amber-green lights they are today.

Sydney's first set of traffic lights was installed on 13 October 1933. It was another 32 years before the nation's capital, Canberra, received its first two sets of traffic lights, on 23 October 1965.

Cheers - John



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Guru

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RE: Today in History


thanks John, very good again.

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Dave S

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iv'e lost my glass.



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great read again John

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The Master

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Great read once again. I had no idea the Whitehouse was built that long ago.

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Interesting about the history of traffic lights. I lived in country towns years ago when there weren't any lights. Now the bloody things are everywhere, including several sets here in Taree. But lately I've noticed roundabouts popping up all over the place, replacing the need for traffic lights. Much better idea, I reckon, and far cheaper in the long run. Also safer.

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October 14 Today in History


Gday...

1925  -             The innermost sarcophagus of Egyptian king Tutankhamun is opened, revealing the mummy.

Egypt's King Tutankhamun was the son of King Akhenaten, who lived from 1353 to 1337 BC. He was born around 1347 BC and died in his late teens. His tomb lay undiscovered for over 3300 years until a team of British archaeologists, led by Howard Carter, discovered a step leading to the tomb in November 1922. Twenty-two days later, Carter and his crew entered the tomb itself. The tomb also contained hundreds of objects, elaborately decorated and covered in gold, that the Egyptians believed would be needed by the king in his afterlife. The walls of the burial chamber were painted with scenes of his voyage to the afterworld.

Also within the tomb lay a stone sarcophagus - the final resting place of King Tutankhamun. When the sarcophagus itself was opened, it revealed three coffins, fitted within each other, and stuck together with black resin. Planning and preparing to open the sarcophagus was a process which took almost two years: the final, innermost sarcophagus was opened on 14 October 1925. Inside the final coffin, which was made out of solid gold, was the mummified body of King Tutankhamun.

The find was considered particularly significant, not only for the remarkable preservation of the mummy and the treasures, but for the fact that most of the Egyptian kings' tombs were believed to have already been found, and most of them ransacked. Tutankhamun's tomb provided an extraordinary view of the elaborate burial rites and preparations for Egyptian kings.

1947  -             Charles Yeager becomes the first human being to break through the sound barrier.

Charles Elwood "Chuck" Yeager was born on 13 February 1923 in Myra, West Virginia. After joining the army at age 16 and training as an aircraft mechanic, he was then selected for flight training. His service record during WWII was impeccable, becoming an "ace-in-a-day" after shooting down five enemy aircraft in a single mission. Yeager remained in the Air Force after the war. He became a test pilot and was ultimately selected to fly the rocket-powered Bell X-1 in a NACA program to research high-speed flight. On 14 October 1947 he broke the sound barrier in the technologically advanced X-1.

Yeager continued to work with experimental craft, achieving faster and faster speeds. He piloted the X1-A, a longer and more powerful version of the X-1, to a speed of mach 2.4 on 12 December 1953. This was almost two and a half times the speed of sound and the fastest of any human being to that date.

1962  -             The Cuban Missile Crisis begins, bringing the world to the brink of nuclear warfare.

Cuba is an island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, approximately 150 km south of Florida in the USA. In 1962, it was controlled by a socialist government under Fidel Castro. Castro had already sought support from the Soviet Union after the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s, during which the country had adopted Marxist ideals. This had put the country in direct conflict with the USA, and Cuba needed a powerful ally.

The Cuban Missile Crisis was seen as the point in the Cold War when the USA and USSR were closest to engaging in nuclear warfare. Reconnaissance photographs taken by a high-altitude U-2 spy plane on 14 October 1962 revealed that Soviet missiles were under construction in Cuba. A tense standoff ensued for two weeks, during which the USA placed a naval quarantine around Cuba to prevent further weapons being conveyed to the island.

It was not until October 28 that Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev announced that he would dismantle the installations and return the missiles to the Soviet Union, and remove Soviet light bombers from Cuba. This occurred on the condition that the United States would not invade Cuba.

1964  -             Martin Luther King becomes the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on 15 January 1929 in Atlanta, Georgia. He became a Baptist minister, and African American civil rights activist. In his fight for civil rights, he organised and led marches for desegregation, fair hiring, the right of African Americans to vote, and other basic civil rights. Most of these rights were successfully enacted later into United States law with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

On 14 October 1964, at age thirty-five, King became the youngest man to receive the Nobel Peace Prize. He chose to hand his $54,123 award money to the furtherance of the civil rights movement.

Martin Luther King's life was tragically cut short when he was shot in the neck by a rifle bullet in Memphis, Tennessee, on 4 April 1968. James Earl Ray was convicted of his murder and sentenced to 99 years in prison. But while King's life was taken from him prematurely, his legacy lives on in the equal rights now enjoyed by millions of African-Americans in the USA.

1968  -             The Western Australian town of Meckering suffers an earthquake which registers 6.9 on the Richter scale.

Meckering is a small town in the Avon valley region of Western Australia, about 130km east of Perth and 24km west of Cunderdin. At 10:59am on 14 October 1968, the town of approximately 240 people was struck by an earthquake which registered 6.9 on the Richter scale. No deaths were reported, but the earthquake injured 17 people, and caused an estimated $2.2 million worth of damage, translating to around $5 million today. The ground ruptured along a length of 40km, up to 1.5m wide and 2.4m high, and the evidence of this can be seen in the scar that still runs along the landscape today.

1994  -             The Nobel Peace Prize is awarded to Palestinian and Israeli leaders.

The Nobel Peace Prize was instigated on the request of Swedish industrialist and inventor Alfred Nobel. Upon Nobel's death in 1896, he left a fund from the interest of which annual awards, called Nobel Prizes, were to be given for work in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, and literature, and toward the promotion of international peace. In a decision that sparked much controversy, the 14 October 1994 Nobel Peace Prize was awarded jointly to Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.

Following years of territorial disputes and terrorist activities, on 13 September 1993, Arafat and Rabin had come to an agreement to give the Palestinians limited autonomy in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank town of Jericho. The Peace Prize was awarded on this basis. However, the award was regarded by many to have been based on the hope of peace between Israel and the Palestinians, rather than a tangible, lasting peace. Acts of terrorism and fighting between the two sides has continued, and in November 1995, Israeli Prime Minister Rabin was assassinated by a right-wing Jewish extremist opposed to the peace process.

Cheers - John



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RE: Today in History


Many thanks for interesting read today.
Denise.

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Senior Member

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great read especialy about the earthquake in w.a. thanks John

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Guru

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goodonya john very interesting as always.

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Dave S

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but what do i know, i'm only a old fart.

iv'e lost my glass.



Guru

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Fascinating stuff about King Tut and the extravagant preparations made for his trip to the afterlife... which after 3000+ years ultimately proved that you really can't take it with you. A solid gold coffin? They had to be kidding.

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October 15 Today in History


Gday...

1769  -             Lieutenant James Cook names 'Kidnapper's Bay' in New Zealand after Mori attempt to kidnap a servant.

James Cook, born on 27 October 1728, in Yorkshire, England, was a British explorer and navigator. He entered the navy as an able seaman in 1755 and earned several promotions, finally being given command of the Endeavour. In 1768, Cook set out to travel to the Pacific Ocean to Tahiti to observe and record the transit of Venus across the Sun. In Tahiti, Cook established friendly relations with the natives, and was joined on his voyage by a Tahitian chief named Tupaia, who wanted to travel, together with his boy-servant Tayeto.

On his way to search the south Pacific for the great southern continent that many believed must extend around the southern pole, Cook came across New Zealand, which Abel Tasman had discovered in 1642. On 15 October 1769, as the Endeavour was off the coast of the North Island, a group of Mori in a canoe came alongside the Endeavour, and negotiated a trade of fresh fish. As Tayeto made his way to the canoe to accept the fish, he was grabbed by the Mori, who paddled off at top speed with the servant boy. Cook's crew fired on the canoe, killing one Mori. Tayeto leapt overboard and was picked up by the Endeavour. Because of this event, Cook named the area Kidnapper's Bay.

1924  -             Actor Mark Lenard, best known as Spock's father, Sarek, in Star Trek, is born.

Mark Lenard was born Leonard Rosenson in Chicago, Illinois, USA, on 15 October 1924. Lenard was best known as the actor who played Vulcan Spock's father, Sarek, in Star Trek: The Original Series and later in Star Trek: The Next Generation as well as several of the Star trek movies. However, he also played the first Romulan seen on the show and the first Klingon with a ridged forehead.

Lenard was not restricted to Star trek roles. He was in the television series "Gunsmoke", and early episodes of "Mission: Impossible". He appeared in the TV series "Here Come the Brides" as character Aaron Stempel, Urko in the television series version of "Planet of the Apes" and played the part of Charles Ingalls's older brother in one episode of "Little House on the Prairie".

Lenard died of multiple myeloma, a type of bone marrow cancer, on 22 November 1996.

1953  -             Britain conducts the first atomic test on the Australian mainland.

Australia's remoteness made it a choice for Britain to conduct testing of its atomic weapons in the 1950s. In October of 1952, the Montebello islands, off north-west Western Australia, became the site for testing of the first British atomic bomb. "Operation Hurricane" was conducted 350 metres off the coast of Trimouille Island for the purpose of testing the effects of a bomb smuggled inside a ship.

One year later, on 15 October 1953, Britain conducted its first atomic test on the Australian mainland. Named Operation Totem, the test of a 10 kiloton atomic bomb was held at Emu Field, in the Great Victoria Desert of South Australia. The first test was followed by Totem 2, testing of an 8 kiloton bomb, at the same site, less than two weeks later, on 27 October. Further tests of nuclear weapons at the site were not undertaken, as it was considered too remote an area. Further atomic tests were conducted elsewhere, at Maralinga in 1956.

Later, it was discovered that the radioactive cloud from the first detonation did not disperse as it was expected to do, but instead travelled north-east over the Australian continent. An obelisk still stands at the site, warning that "Radiation levels for a few hundred metres around this point may be above those considered safe for permanent occupation".

1970  -             35 construction workers are killed when a span of the West Gate Bridge in Melbourne collapses.

The West Gate Bridge, completed in 1978, spans the Yarra River in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Its design is cable-stayed, consisting of several pillars, with cables supporting the roadbed. Situated just north of the river mouth, the bridge links the inner city and Melbourne's eastern suburbs with the western industrial suburbs and the main highway to the city of Geelong.

Two years after construction on the bridge commenced, it was necessary to fix a height discrepancy. It was proposed that the higher side of the bridge be weighted down with 8 x 10 tonne concrete blocks. However, due to structural weakness, the bridge would not support the weight of the blocks. On 15 October 1970 one of the spans collapsed, falling 50m below. 35 construction workers were killed. A Royal Commission attributed the collapse of the bridge to two causes; the structural design by designers Freeman Fox and Partners, and an unusual method of erection by World Services and Construction, the original contractors of the project.

The incident had considerable implications for Australia's workplace safety laws. After the accident, workers were given greater input into workplace safety committees, gaining the right to question the wisdom and action of their supervisors regarding potentially dangerous practices in the workplace.

1997  -             The Cassini space orbiter, the first spacecraft to orbit Saturn, is launched.

The Cassini space orbiter was part of the Cassini-Huygens mission, a collaborative NASA/ESA/ASI unmanned space mission for the purpose of studying Saturn and its moons. It was launched on 15 October 1997, from Cape Canaveral in Florida, USA. It was comprised of two parts, the Cassini orbiter, which was intended to remain in orbit around Saturn and its moons, and the Huygens probe, supplied by the European Space Agency (ESA). The spacecraft entered orbit around Saturn on July 1, 2004, and six months later, on 25 December 2004, the probe separated from the orbiter. From there, it travelled to Titan, one of Saturn's moons, descending to the surface on 14 January 2005. Once on the surface, it began collecting and relaying scientific data.

Since the launch of the mission, three new moons have been discovered by Cassini whilst in orbit: Methone, Pallene and the third with the designation of S/2005 S 1.

2003  -             China becomes the third nation to launch a manned space mission.

Shenzou 5 was the first manned space mission to be launched by the People's Republic of China. It was preceded by four unmanned Shenzou missions in the previous four years. Shenzou 5 was launched from a base in the Gobi Desert on a Long March CZ-2F rocket booster on 15 October 2003, and carried Lieutenant Colonel Yang Liwei. Previously, the Soviet Union and the United States had been the only nations to launch manned missions into space. The mission completed 14 Earth orbits during a flight which lasted 21 hours. It ended with a parachute-assisted landing in Inner Mongolia in northern China.

Cheers - John



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RE: Today in History


thanks John well done again.

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Dave S

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iv'e lost my glass.



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thanks John good read again

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October 16 Today in History


Gday...

1793  -             Marie Antoinette, queen of France and wife of Louis XVI, is beheaded.

Marie Antoinette was born in Vienna on 2 November 1755, daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor Francis I and his wife Empress Maria Theresa. When a new peace treaty was signed between Austria and France, it was hoped that a royal marriage would seal the peace. At age foureen, Marie Antoinette was chosen to marry the dauphin in France. He became King Louis XVI four years later.

Marie Antoinette embraced the lavish lifestyle with enthusiasm. She had little regard for the poor and struggling peasants, and spent money frivolously. For her attitude, she became the symbol of the people's hatred for the old regime during the French Revolution. When the French Revolution began, Marie Antionette supported the old regime. When the National Convention established the French Republic in 1792, Marie Antoinette and the king were imprisoned. Antoinette was beheaded on 16 October 1793.

1837  -             The first group of German migrants arrives in the new colony of South Australia.

In the 1800s, under King Friedrich Wilhelm III, German/Prussian Lutherans suffered religious persecution. Friedrich Wilhelm was an autocratic king who believed he had the right to create his own state church from the two main Protestant churches - the Lutheran church and the smaller Reformed church - in a united Prussian state church. This would effectively remove the right of Lutherans to worship in a way of their choosing. Penalties for non-adherence to the state religion were severe. Many Lutherans immigrated to Australia to escape the persecution.

Later groups of German immigrants were fortunate to be sponsored by wealthy Scottish businessman and chairman of the South Australian Company, George Fife Angas. However, the very first group of German immigrants sailed under difficult conditions aboard a ship that was infested with ****roaches. The 'Solway' was a wooden ship built at Monkwearmouth Shore, Sunderland in 1829. It departed from Hamburg, Germany in June 1837 under the command of Captain R Pearson. The journey was particularly rough and at one point, after a bad storm, the passengers retreated below decks for a prayer meeting. It is said that, as the boat rocked violently to and fro, and with the passengers and crew expecting the ship to break apart and sink at any moment, the prayer leader told them to have faith and all would be well. At that point, the storm abated.

The Solway arrived at Kangaroo Island on 16 October 1837. Just two days earlier, one of the passengers, Mrs Kleemann, had died from pneumonia. Her distraught husband begged Captain Pearson to delay burial at sea, and to wait two days to see if land could be sighted, with the proviso that if no land was sighted, the burial would proceed. When the ship berthed at Kingscote on October 16, Mr Kleemann brought ashore his deceased wife for burial on land.

1863  -             Daisy Bates, the Irish-born Australian woman who lived for many years among the Aborigines, is born.

Daisy Bates was born Daisy May O'Dwyer on 16 October 1863, at Caraig Hill, County Tipperary, Ireland. She arrived in Townsville, Queensland, Australia, when she was 21, and shortly after became a governess on Fanning Downs Station. In 1884 she married Edwin Henry Murrant, also known as Breaker Morant, but after he was caught pig-stealing, she insisted he leave. (Breaker Morant later enlisted in the Second Contingent of the South Australian Mounted Rifles.) In 1885, Daisy married Australian stockman and drover John Bates, but continued to travel around Australia, and even returned to England for awhile, leaving behind her husband and child.

In England, Bates worked as a journalist, and became concerned about the stories of cruelty being suffered by Western Australian aborigines. She was commissioned by The Times newspaper to return to Australia and investigate the stories of cruelty. She settled in northwest Australia, at the Beagle Bay Mission near Broome, absorbing Aboriginal culture, language and legends. Here, she compiled a dictionary of several Aboriginal dialects, common words and phrases.

In 1910, Bates was appointed a Travelling Protector with a special commission to conduct inquiries into native conditions and problems, such as employment on stations, guardianship and the morality of native and half-caste women in towns and mining camps. She became a true friend and protector of the Aborigines, using her own money to buy them rations, sacrificing her own lifestyle to improve theirs, whilst preserving their culture and traditions. Bates died on 18 April 1951.

1867  -             James Nash sparks off the gold rush in Gympie, Queensland.

James Nash was born in Wiltshire, England in 1834. He migrated to Australia in 1858, and initially worked as a labourer, who spent his spare time prospecting. He moved to Queensland in 1863, and initially tried prospecting in the Nanango and Calliope districts, without success. He sparked off the Gympie gold rush when he found gold in a gully off the Mary River on 16 October 1867. The goldfield was originally called Nashville, but less than a year later, it was renamed Gympie after nearby Gympie Creek.

1978  -             The first non-Italian Pope for more than 400 years, Pope John Paul II, is elected.

Pope John Paul was elected to the papacy on the third ballot of the 1978 Papal Conclave, but the popular man who came to be known as the "Smiling Pope" died after just 33 days in office. Pope John Paul was succeeded on 16 October 1978, by Cardinal Karol Wojtyla of Poland, who took the name of Pope John Paul II in deference to his predecessor. He became the first non-Italian Pope to be elected for over 400 years. At just 58 years old, the new Pope also became the youngest pope to be elected in the twentieth century.

In his later years, Pope John Paul II's health began to suffer, particularly after he developed Parkinson's Disease during the 1990s. He died on 2 April 2005. His reign was marked by his untiring ecumenical approach to accommodate other Christian sects as well as to forge a better understanding with the Islamic world, without compromising his own Catholic stance. A major theme of his papacy was also his fight for freedom of religion in the Communist bloc and during his term as Pope, was significant for his contribution to the fall of Communism in Eastern Europe.

1987  -             18 die as England is hit by destructive hurricane winds, dubbed The Great Storm.

On 16 October 1987, England was hit by a night of destructive storms with hurricane-strength winds. Wind speed reached 151 km per hour in London and 177 km per hour in the Channel Islands. 18 people were killed and hundreds more injured, while damage was estimated at £1 billion. The southern coast was the area worst-hit, with 5 killed in Kent and Dover Harbour, and two firemen killed in Dorset as they responded to an emergency. A Sea Link cross channel ferry was blown ashore at Folkestone, and its crew had to be rescued. Around 15 million trees were felled, and entire forests levelled.

Storms had been predicted earlier in the week when a depression was identified as strengthening over the Atlantic Ocean. It was expected that the weather system would track along the English Channel. However, the Meteorological Office could not predict the nature and ferocity of the Great Storm as it cut inland unexpectedly.

1996  -             It is reported that thieves stole a set of fossilised dinosaur footprints from a sacred Aboriginal site.

On 16 October 1996, it was reported that a set of fossilised dinosaur footprints had been stolen from a sacred Aboriginal site in outback Australia. The footprints came from the best preserved trackway of a stegosaur in the world, and were the world's only known set of fossilised stegosaurus prints. They were also the only evidence that stegosaurs had once populated the Australian continent. The footprints were regarded by Aborigines near Broome, north-western Australia, to belong to a mythical creature from their "Dream Time". The theft shocked and outraged Aborigines, as it violated an Aboriginal sacred site on the isolated coastline near Broome.

On 30 December 1998, one of the missing footprints was recovered. Police investigations found that the thieves had attempted to sell the prints on the Asian market, but had been unsuccessful, possibly because of their size and weight. Each of the three toes of the large print measured 15 cm. The 30kg block of rock in which the print was embedded measured 60cm by 40 cm and was 13cm deep. Police did not elaborate on how they had come across the missing fossil.

Cheers - John



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RE: Today in History


well done again John. thanks.

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Dave S

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iv'e lost my glass.



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great read john thank's

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October 17 Today in History


Gday...

1854  -             In the lead-up to the Eureka Stockade, the Eureka Hotel is burnt to the ground during a riot.

James Scobie was an unassuming gold miner who came to Australia from Scotland to make his fortune on the Ballarat goldfields. After becoming involved in a fight at the Eureka Hotel, also known as Bentley's Hotel, Scobie died on 7 October 1854.

An inquest into his death absolved the hotel owner, Bentley, and his staff of any wrongdoing. The miners, however, felt that justice had been thwarted, and held a meeting outside the hotel on 17 October 1854. Tempers flared, a riot ensued and the hotel was burnt to the ground. As a result of this, more troopers were sent from Melbourne, and miners were subjected to more frequent licence checks, and more frequent clashes between miners and troopers.

Another inquest into Scobie's death was held a month later, on 18 November, during which Bentley and two of his staff were found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to three years' hard labour in the road-gangs. The general dissatisfaction generated by these events was a catalyst in the events leading up to the Eureka stockade of December 3.

1949  -             Work commences on the Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme, considered one of the wonders of the modern engineering world.

The Snowy Mountains Hydro Electric Scheme is a hydroelectricity and irrigation scheme in Australia, covering about 5,124 square kilometres in southern New South Wales. Considered to be one of the wonders of the modern engineering world, it involves sixteen dams, seven power stations, a pumping station, 145 km of underground tunnels and 80 km of aqueducts. The scheme generates enough electricity to meet roughly 10% of the needs of New South Wales.

The Snowy Mountains Hydro-Electric Scheme was first proposed in 1918, driven by the needs of farmers who wanted to be able to divert the waters of the Snowy River inland for irrigation, rather than having it all simply flow out to sea at the river's mouth. In 1946, the Federal government, together with the state governments of Victoria and New South Wales, co-operated to investigate the possibilities of such a Scheme. The Government accepted a proposal in 1949 and the Snowy Mountain Hydro-Electric Power Act was passed in Federal Parliament in July 1949. Led by prominent New Zealand engineer Sir William Hudson, the Snowy Mountains Authority came into being on 1 August 1949.

Construction on the massive undertaking began on 17 October 1949. On this day, Governor General Sir William McKell, Prime Minister Ben Chifley and the first Commissioner of the Snowy Mountains Scheme, Sir William Hudson, fired the first blast at Adaminaby. The scheme took 25 years to complete and was built at a cost of $1 billion - well under budget. During construction, over 100,000 men and women from over 30 countries worked on the Scheme, whilst Australians made up most of the workforce. These immigrants contributed significantly to the post-war boom.

Apart from the obvious benefits provided by the electricity and the numerous dams, the Snowy Mountain Hydro-Electric Scheme was significant for raising Australia's profile as a technologically advanced country. In 1967 and 1997, the American Society of Civil Engineers ranked the Scheme as one of the great engineering achievements of the twentieth century.

1961  -             Over 200 Algerians in Paris are massacred by police as they march in support of Algeria's independence from France.

Algeria, in northern Africa, is the second largest nation on the African continent. France invaded the country in 1830 and by the end of the 19th century it was under complete French control. However, during the twentieth century, people of European descent in Algeria had a very tenuous relationship with the Muslim Algerians, who remained outside of French law and control.

In 1954, the National Liberation Front (FLN) launched the terrorist-based Algerian War of Independence. Tensions ran high until, in the early 1960s, the Algerian terrorists began setting off bombs in Paris and randomly killing French policemen. Paris police chief Maurice Papon assured his men that they would be protected against any charges of excessive violence in the crackdown that followed. When the Algerians marched in protest against police oppression on 17 October 1961, the Paris police turned their guns on the large protest group. The official death toll released by the police reported 3 dead and 67 wounded. The real figure was over 200.

Papon avoided trial for many years, but in 1998 was found guilty of collaborating in crimes against humanity, and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

1979  -             Mother Teresa, famous for ministering to lepers, the homeless and the poor in the slums of Calcutta, is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

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.

On 17 October 1979, Mother Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize "for work undertaken in the struggle to overcome poverty and distress, which also constitute a threat to peace." She requested that, rather than $6000 being spent on a ceremonial banquet, the funds be redirected to the poverty-stricken in Calcutta. As she received the prize, she was asked, "What can we do to promote world peace?" She replied simply, "Go home and love your family." Upon Mother Teresa's death 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.

1989  -             San Francisco, California, is hit by a powerful earthquake which kills 63.

The city of San Francisco, in California, USA, has the fourth-largest population of any city in the state. It is situated near the San Andreas Fault, a major source of earthquake activity in California, and has seen quite a few earthquake disturbances in the last 150 years. One of these occurred on 17 October 1989, when an earthquake measuring 7.1 on the Richter scale struck along the fault line near Loma Prieta Peak in the Santa Cruz mountains, approximately 110km to the south. The quake lasted 15 seconds, and could be felt from as far away as Los Angeles (680km away) and Reno, Nevada (340km away).

63 people were killed: this was a relatively low number, given the extent of damage to infrastructure, with collapsed bridges, freeways and buildings, huge cracks in roads, landslides and fires. Over 3,500 people were injured and 100,000 buildings damaged. The damage to bridges and buildings was unexpected, as they had supposedly been built to withstand the force of an earthquake.

Cheers - John



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RE: Today in History


October 17 - a memorable day for lots of reasons!!

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jules47 wrote:

October 17 - a memorable day for lots of reasons!!


 Gday...

Happy-birthday-card.jpg

Cheers - John



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thanks John. as always very good.

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Had my son on this day, 37 years ago, can never forget how old he is!!!

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John, the posts are always very interesting, even though I don't often respond to them. Apart from the interest, it really makes you realize how old you are. 1949 work commenced on the Snowy. I recall that and I was only 8 years old. 1979, Mother Theresa and 1989 the San Francisco earthquake. Luckily I had left SFO by that time. I was based in Los Angeles with Korean Air but I actually lived in SFO. By 1989 I had resigned and moved to the Philippines where I bought a Pub.



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October 18 Today in History


Gday...

1818  -             Oxley loses a valuable horse crossing Camden Haven, New South Wales.

Following the successful expedition during which Oxley discovered the rich Liverpool Plains, he returned to the coast. He arrived at the mouth of the Hastings River, at the present site of Port Macquarie, and was especially pleased with the excellent countryside he found. Heading south towards Sydney, he came across a large inlet which he named Camden Haven after Lord Camden. On 18 October 1818, after constructing a canoe by which to take across the men and supplies, the party attempted to swim the horses across. Two of the horses appeared to be overcome with cramps whilst swimming: while one of them managed, after a struggle, to reach the opposite shore, but the other sank out of sight. This was a great loss to Oxley's expedition, as the horse had been one of their best and strongest.

1867  -             The United States purchases Alaska for $7.2 million, the equivalent of about 2 cents an acre.

Russia, the original "owners" of Alaska, held the territory from 1741. As British and American settlers encroached upon Alaska's southern border in the mid nineteenth century, increasing the likelihood of territorial disputes, the financially-strapped Russia offered to sell the territory to the United States. The formal transfer of Alaska from the ownership of Russia to the United States of America took place on 18 October 1867. Alaska was sold for $7.2 million in gold, which equated to about 2 cents an acre.

Initially, President Andrew Johnson was derided for the purchase, as Alaska was seen as too remote to be of any real value. However, following the great Klondike gold strike in 1896, Alaska came to be seen as a valuable and strategic addition to American territory.

1909  -             New South Wales agrees to surrender 2400 square kilometres of land for the creation of the Australian Capital Territory.

On 1 January 1901, following federation of the six colonies in Australia, arose the need to build a federal capital. It was decided that the national capital would not be one of the existing state capitals, in order to prevent rivalry between the cities. It would, however, be positioned between Australias two largest cities, Sydney and Melbourne.

Numerous sites were evaluated by members of Parliament. The site for the national capital could not be on the coast, as this could cause it to be susceptible to enemy bombardment. The necessity for a naval port was satisfied by the acquisition of federal land at Jervis Bay. The climate needed to be bracing, to ensure clear minds for political decision-making. There could be no established urban development or industry already, and access to sufficient water was a necessity. It needed to be in an elevated position, aesthetically pleasing and preferably surrounded by picturesque mountains.

Locations raised for consideration were Albury, Armidale, Bathurst, Bombala, Dalgety, Delegate, Goulburn, Lake George, Lyndhurst, Orange, Queanbeyan, Tumut, Wagga Wagga and Yass. After the initial ballot in the House of Representatives in 1903, Bombala emerged as the favoured site. Following a change of government in 1904, Dalgety was selected as the site of Australias future Federal Capital Territory (later the Australian Capital Territory). When the government changed again in 1905, another ballot was held, and the Yass-Canberra site won by six votes. The territory was defined as a triangle, with Yass in the top corner, the Murrumbidgee River forming the western border and Lake George being in the east.

On 18 October 1909, New South Wales agreed to transfer 2400 square kilometres of land to the Commonwealth for the purpose of establishing the Federal Capital Territory. The deal was signed by Australian Prime Minister Alfred Deakin and the Premier of New South Wales, Charles Wade. The land was formally transferred from New South Wales in January 1911.

1912  -             The First Balkan War breaks out between the members of the Balkan League and the Ottoman Empire.

The Balkan League was comprised of Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Montenegro. The Ottoman Empire, also known as the Turkish Empire, was an imperial power which existed from the late 1200s through to 1923, with its focus around the borders of the Mediterranean Sea. In March 1912, Serbia arranged a treaty of alliance with Bulgaria. However, Greece settled a military convention with Bulgaria two months later. Tension increased steadily in the Balkan Peninsula following this, especially after August 14, when Bulgaria sent a demand to the Turks that the Turkish province of Macedonia be granted autonomy. The Balkan states began to mobilise their armies in late September, and early in October Montenegro declared war on the Ottoman Empire.

On 18 October 1912, the Balkan allies entered the war on the side of Montenegro, generating the First Balkan War. Before the year was out, the Balkan League had won several sure victories over the Turkish Empire. The Turks were forced to surrender Albania, Macedonia, and most of their other territories around the Mediterranean.

1928  -             Constable William Murray returns to Alice Springs after massacring Aborigines at Coniston Station.

The Coniston Massacre was the last known massacre of Australian Aborigines. Occurring at Coniston cattle station, Northern Territory, Australia, it was a revenge killing for the death of dingo hunter Frederick Brooks, who was believed to have been killed by Aborigines in August 1928. Constable William Murray, officer in charge at Barrow Creek, investigated and came to the conclusion that the killing had been done by members of the Warlpiri, Anmatyerre and Kaytetye people. There were no witnesses, and apparent inconsistencies in Murray's report were never questioned.

Murray took matters into his own hand. Over the next few days, up until 30 August, he shot 17 members of the Aboriginal tribes he believed were responsible, and claimed his actions were made in self-defence and that each tribal member he had killed was in possession of some item belonging to Brooks.

In the ensuing weeks, Murray again encountered several groups of Aborigines while investigating another non-fatal attack on a settler named Nugget Morton at Broadmeadows Station. Together with Morton, one other white man and an aboriginal boy, Murray embarked on a campaign of revenge, during which another 14 Aborigines were killed. He returned to Alice Springs with his report on 18 October 1928.

Murray was never punished for his actions. On the contrary, the Board of Enquiry members were selected to maximise damage-control. It was believed at the time that Murray's actions were appropriate for the circumstances. The Central Land Council organised the seventy-fifth anniversary of the massacre, commemorated near Yuendumu on 24 September 2003.

Cheers - John



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Today in History


goodonya John. thanks.

 

edit. it's 100 years of the landing in europe for are ww1 diggers today.  i hope i haven't stole your thunder John .



-- Edited by Glenelg on Saturday 18th of October 2014 06:25:38 PM

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October 19 Today in History


Gday...

1833  -             Australian horseman and poet, Adam Lindsay Gordon, is born.

Adam Lindsay Gordon was born on 19 October 1833, at Fayal in the Azores, a group of Portuguese islands in the Atlantic Ocean, about 1,500 km from Lisbon, Portugal. Educated in his teenage years in England, he was a wayward youth. After completing his education, his father sent him to South Australia, where he worked variously as a horse-breaker, mounted policeman, poet and even a member of parliament. He had an intense love of horses and riding, but this proved to be his undoing: in July 1868, he suffered a riding accident which caused some brain damage, and plummeted him into depression.

His poetry expressed his love of horses. It also captured the emerging Australian identity and use of Australian idioms. The day after the publication of his poems as "Bush Ballads and Galloping Rhymes" he took himself off to Brighton Beach in Melbourne, where he committed suicide. He was just 36 years old.

1845  -             Leichhardt discovers the Roper River in northern Australia, but loses three of his best horses whilst attempting to cross.

Ludwig Leichhardt was born in Prussia and studied in Germany. He was a passionate botanist who had an interest in exploration, although he lacked necessary bush survival skills. In October 1844, he left from Jimbour, on the Darling Downs, on an expedition to find a new route to Port Essington, near Darwin.

Whilst making his way up the western side of the Gulf of Carpentaria a year later, on 19 October 1845, his party came to a freshwater river, estimated to be 460km wide. Leichhardt named it after one of his own men, John Roper, who had seen the river two days earlier on an advance scouting mission to find the best route. As the party began to cross the Roper River, three of the best horses stumbled down steep banks and drowned. With fewer horses remaining to carry the load, Leichhardt regretfully had to destroy most of his botanical specimens which he had been collecting for the past year.

1856  -             A stampede kills 7 during a Sunday evening service led by the great preacher Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, more commonly known as C H Spurgeon, was England's best-known and most-loved preacher for most of the latter half of the nineteenth century. He was born in Kelvedon, Essex, on 19 June 1834 and converted to Christianity when he was fifteen years old. He preached his first sermon a year later: even then, his style, depth of thought and delivery were seen as being far above average. At age 18, Spurgeon was placed in charge of a small congregation at Waterbeach, Cambridgeshire, and at age 20, went to London as pastor of the New Park Street Chapel in Southwark. Under Spurgeon's leadership, the congregation quickly outgrew its building, moving to Exeter Hall, then to Surrey Music Hall, where there would sometimes be an audience of 10,000.

It was here that Spurgeon experienced his first major setback. During the Sunday evening service on 19 October 1856, someone shouted, "Fire!" The ensuing panic caused a stampede in which seven people were killed, and scores more injured. There was no fire. Spurgeon was just 22 years old and was overcome by this tragedy. For weeks afterward, his distress prevented him from preaching and his whole ministry appeared to be finished. However, his faith sustained him and he grew through the experience to return to preaching, extending his ministry through his published sermons which are still highly regarded today.

1872  -             The largest single piece of reef gold ever discovered in the world is found at Hill End, in New South Wales.

Hill End, originally known as Bald Hill, is a gold-mining ghost town about 66km from Mudgee in the New South Wales central-west. Alluvial gold was discovered at Hill End in 1851 and within a month, there were were 150 miners working the area. The Hill End goldfield was one of the richest gold mining areas in NSW, and the first reef mining area in Australia. The Beyers and Holtermann nugget, the largest single piece of reef gold ever discovered in the world, was found by workers at the Star of Hope Gold Mining Co on Hawkins Hill, on 19 October 1872. It weighed about 286kg, measured 150cm by 66cm, and was worth at least £12,000 at the time.

1987  -             The Dow Jones Industrial Average falls 22.6%, the largest one-day decline in recorded stock market history.

19 October 1987, became known as "Black Monday" when the Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 508 points, or 22.6%, in the largest single-day decline in recorded stock market history. The crash rebounded around the world, as within a fortnight, stock markets in Australia had fallen 41.8%, Hong Kong 45.8%, and the United Kingdom 26.4%. The crash was unexpected, and did not seem to have been precipitated by any major news or events. In retrospect, some theories have pointed to the announcement of a particularly steep trade deficit and news of an American attack against Iran as the cause of the plunge. However, economists have not been able to agree on any reason for the crash.

Cheers - John



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RE: Today in History


good read again John. thanks.

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Great read once again, thanks John.

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Today's prospectors think themselves lucky to find a few specs of gold, and go to a helluva lotta trouble just to find that. Imagine finding a nugget weighing 286 kilograms @ $1200-ish an ounce. Mama mia. I think gold is about $40 a gram, so a kilo is $40,000 and 286 kilos is... er... I don't even wanna think about it.

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October 20 Today in History


Gday...

1632  -             The great English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, is born.

Sir Christopher Wren was a 17th century English architect. He was born on 20 October 1632, in Wiltshire, England. He studied at Oxford, and at age 25 became professor of astronomy at Gresham College. In 1661 he became the Savilian Professor of astronomy at Oxford until his resignation in 1673. During this time, Charles II appointed Wren as assistant to the royal architect and in 1665 he spent six months in Paris studying architecture. He was also one of the founding members of the Royal Society, of which he was president from 1680 to 1682.

As an architect, Wren designed more than 50 London churches following the Great Fire of London in 1666. He is particularly known for his design for St Paul's Cathedral, one of very few cathedrals in England to have been built after the medieval period, and the only Renaissance cathedral in the country. His secular works include the Sheldonian Theatre in Oxford, the library of Trinity College, Cambridge, the garden facade of Hampton Court Palace, Chelsea Hospital, sections of Greenwich Hospital and the buildings of the Temple, London. Wren died in 1723 and was buried in the crypt of St Paul's.

1792  -             John Fawkner, early pioneer and rival to John Batman for the title of Melbourne's founder, is born.

John Pascoe Fawkner was born in London on 20 October 1792. In 1803, when he was eleven years old, he accompanied his convict father and family to a potential new convict settlement. The British Government had instructed Lieutenant-Governor David Collins to establish a settlement on the southern coast. At that stage, the area was still part of New South Wales. The expedition included two ships, 308 convicts, 51 marines, 17 free settlers, 12 civil officers, and a missionary and his wife. In October 1803, Collins and his expedition landed at the site where Sorrento now stands on the Mornington Peninsula, naming it Port King. The settlement was not a success for a variety of reasons and, hearing of better land and timber in Van Diemen's Land, Collins moved most of the settlement across Bass Strait, establishing Hobart.

Fawkner's father was given a conditional pardon, and founded several businesses, gradually achieving success and some prosperity. A series of misadventures by young Fawkner caused him to be convicted for aiding and abetting the escape of 7 prisoners, for which he was sentenced to 500 lashes and three years labour. After being released in 1816, he gradually moved through more misadventures, crime and punishment until, by sheer determination, he rose above the continual obstacles, finally achieving his own prosperity but, with it, a reputation for being troublesome and arrogant.

The possibility of better prospects on the other side of Bass Strait inspired Fawkner to return to the mainland. Temporarily delayed by creditors who refused to allow him to leave Van Diemen's Land on his own boat, Enterprize, Fawkner did manage to sail two months later after his crew, in October 1835. He arrived first at Westernport Bay, then moved on to where John Batman had begun the unofficial settlement of Melbourne. Here he established Melbourne's first hotel, soon followed by Melbourne's first newspaper, The Advertiser.

After the death of Batman in 1839, in the absence of his rival Fawkner took the opportunity to promote himself as the founder of Melbourne. He gained many followers, and made just as many enemies for his arrogance and pomposity. Success bred success, however, and Fawkner gained influence, entering politics. In 1851, he became a member of the first Legislative Council of the Port Phillip District, and five years later was elected to the first Parliament of the self-governing colony of Victoria. Fawkner died on 4 September 1869.

1828  -             H G Spafford, the man who wrote the hymn "It is well with my soul" amidst great personal tragedy, is born.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to know,

It is well, it is well with my soul."

The words of the hymn "It is well with my soul" were penned by a man who knew profound tragedy. Horatio Gates Spafford was born on 20 October 1828 in New York state. He and his wife Anna became important figures in Chicago in the 1860s, as Spafford was a prominent figure in legal circles, and they were close friends with the famous evangelist D L Moody.

Spafford and his wife suffered their first tragic loss in 1870 when their young son died from scarlet fever. The following year, he suffered further losses. An astute businessman who had invested heavily in real estate, he lost most of his property along the shores of Lake Michigan in the Great Chicago Fire of October 1871.

In 1873, Spafford organised his wife and four daughters for a European vacation, with the intent of assisting D L Moody who would be travelling around Britain and preaching his message. Due to a business matter at the last moment, Spafford was forced to defer his plans, instead sending off just his family on a voyage across the Atlantic. On 22 November 1873, their steamer collided with an English vessel, sinking quickly and claiming the lives of 226 people, including all of Spafford's daughters. He received from his wife a telegram which read simply, "Saved alone".

Spafford took the next ship from New York to join his grieving wife. Whilst crossing the Atlantic, the Captain pointed out the site of the collision. Spafford returned to his cabin, where he penned the words of the hymn "It is well with my soul". He based the hymn on the words of 2 Kings 4:26 from the Bible, which tell of a woman's peace amidst her grief of losing her only son. The words of this hymn are a lasting legacy of a man who maintained steadfast trust in the Lord.

1911  -             Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen departs the Bay of Whales, Antarctica, on his expedition to the South Pole.

Roald Amundsen was born on 16 July 1872, near Oslo, Norway. At fifteen, he intended to study medicine but, inspired by Fridtjof Nansen's crossing of Greenland in 1888, altered his career intentions to eventually become one of the most successful polar explorers. He planned to be the first to the North Pole, but having been beaten by Frederick Cook and Robert Peary, he then altered his plans to make for the South Pole. He set out for Antarctica in 1910, and reached the Ross Ice Shelf on 14 January 1911 at a point known as the Bay of Whales. From here, on 10 February 1911, Amundsen scouted south to establish depots along the way. During the next two months, he and his party established three depots for storing their extensive provisions. They had their last glimpse of the sun for four months on 22 April 1911.

After maintaining their base at the Bay of Whales during the winter months, on 20 October 1911, Amundsen and four others departed for the South Pole. The remaining three in his expedition party went east to visit King Edward VII Land. The southern party consisted of five men, four sledges, fifty-two dogs and provisions for four months. The expedition reached the South Pole on 14 December 1911, a month before the famed Robert Scott reached it.

1973  -             The Sydney Opera House is formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II.

The Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia, sits on Bennelong Point in Sydney Harbour. Designed by Danish architect Joern Utzon in 1955, it has become one of the most famous performing arts venues in the world. Utzon arrived in Sydney to oversee the project in 1957 and work commenced on the opera House in 1959. The building, famous for its geometric roof shells, was completed in 1973, at a cost of $102 million.

The Opera House was formally opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 20 October 1973. The opening was celebrated with fireworks and a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9. Prior to this, however, Sergei Prokofiev's 'War and Peace' was played at the Opera Theatre on 28 September 1973. The following day, the first public performance was held, with a programme performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Charles Mackerras and with accompanying singer Birgit Nilsson.

Cheers - John



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