On this day July 17 (it was a busy day) Australia 1799 - Matthew Flinders first sights and names Red Cliff Point, now Redcliffe, in Queensland. The city of Redcliffe is so named for its red cliff faces. Matthew Flinders landed and named Red Cliff Point. The area was first recommended by Captain John Oxley as the site for a new convict settlement.. 1825 - The western border of New South Wales is extended to offset French and Dutch interests in Australias north coast. The western boundary had been established at 135 degrees E as this was not considered too close to Timor, and should appease Portugal, then Britain’s oldest ally. However, the French continued to hover off the coast, sending numerous scientific and exploratory expeditions. In 1824, the British trading post of Fort Dundas on Melville Island was established, in an attempt to offset French or Dutch plans to colonise any part of the northern coast. 1900 - Sydney completes its Bubonic Plague Cleansing Operations. Cleansing operations began in Sydney on 24 March. Extensive washing, liming, disinfecting and burning of property was undertaken, while buildings classified as slums were demolished in an attempt to rid the city of the rats spreading the disease. When the Cleansing Operations finished, ships continued to bring the disease to Australia, and between 1900 and 1925. In all, 1371 cases were reported, along with 535 deaths – certainly far fewer than the deaths reported in some countries. 1914 - The original Man From Snowy River, on whom Banjo Paterson’s ballad was based, is buried. “The Man From Snowy River” tells the story of a young stockman who, through wild and dangerous terrain, successfully chases down a valuable horse that has escaped from a station in Australia’s high country. Like many of Paterson’s ballads, it paints a rich picture of the countryside, peppered with unique Australian characters. The ballad was based on a real character, Irishman Jack Riley, whom Paterson met when he visited friends at Bringenbrong Station, a large property in the Upper Murray region. Riley lived in a basic timber hut near Tom Groggin Station, and shared many stories with Paterson as they camped overnight. One story in particular captured Paterson’s imagination, as Riley vividly described a thrilling horse chase through perilous territory, giving rise to the scenes that would be developed in “The Man From Snowy River”. 1914 - Australias first interstate air mail departs Melbourne. The airmail was flown from Melbourne to Sydney by French aviator Maurice Guillaux. The first airmail from overseas arrived in Darwin from England in a war-surplus Vickers Vimy bomber in 1919 piloted by a WW1 Ace, Ross Smith and his brother Keith. Other places 1674 - Preacher and hymn writer, Isaac Watts, is born. Isaac Watts, was born in Southampton, England Watts did not just believe his faith: he lived it. He refused to accept funds for his education if it meant conforming to the man-made rules and regulations of the Church of England. He gave his first sermon on his birthday, in 1698, at Mark Lane in London. In 1707, Watts published his Hymns and Spiritual Songs which included Joy to the World. These hymns are Watts main legacy to Christendom. 1918 - Czar Nicholas II of Russia, his wife, children and several servants are executed during the Russian Revolution. The Czar and his wife, together with their five children, the family doctor and three attendants, were taken to the cellar of a house in Yekatarinburg. They were told to line up for a family portrait, but instead a detachment of Bolsheviks led by Yakov Yurovsky burst in and began firing, killing the family and servants. 1942 - Over 13,000 French Jews are rounded up and sent to Drancy Internment Camp outside Paris. French Jews began to be deported in smaller numbers to Auschwitz in. However, the impact of the WWII Holocaust hit in earnest amongst the French on his day, when over 13,000 Parisian Jews were rounded up and sent the Internment Camps. The French police were acting under the orders of the Germans who at that stage were occupying France. 1969 - The Apollo 11 is launched from Cape Kennedy, Florida, the first mission to successfully land a man on the moon. The crew consisted of astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Edwin Buzz Aldrin. All three had previous experience flying in space during the Gemini manned space missions. The primary purpose of the mission was to fulfil President John F Kennedys goal of landing a man on the moon and returning him safely to the Earth by the end of the 1960s. Man first set foot on the moon four days later, on 21 July 1969. 1976 - 25 African countries boycott the opening ceremony of the Olympic games in Montreal. The boycott was due to long-standing tensions over South Africas refusal to condemn the policy of apartheid. South Africa had been banned from the Olympics since 1964, but the boycotting countries protested at New Zealands continued sporting links with South Africa. 1999 - John F Kennedy Jr, son of assassinated president John F Kennedy, is killed in an aircraft accident.
Posted on: Thu, 17 Jul 2014 08:58:06 +0000
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