This Day in History

The Founding of Australia

(image, Wikipedia)

Exactly what stray thought caused the beginning of my exploration into the noteworthy happenings of this day I no longer recall. Folks who compile this sort of information have it listed on Google, Wikipedia and a host of other sites on the Internet. I had an interesting few hours exploring this day in history. Following is just a smidgen of what I discovered.  The subject matter varies greatly, as you will see.

1788 -- British Naval Captain Arthur Phillip raised the English flag at what is now Sydney, Australia, founding the first permanent European settlement on that continent. Because of the International Date Line, folks in Australia celebrated Australia Day yesterday. I'm sorry to be late in recognizing your special day, friends.

Several years ago, I read a fascinating book on this subject, one that remains in my "keepers" -- The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes. If you have any interest in Australia at all, I unreservedly recommend Hughes' book.

1831 - Mary Mapes Dodge, author of Hans Brinker, or The Silver Skates is born in New York City.

1838 - Tennessee passes the first prohibition law in the United States.

1880 - Douglas McArthur is born in Little Rock, Arkansas.

1893 - Bessie Coleman, the first African-American airplane pilot, is born. If you have a few minutes, click on the link to check out the Wikipedia information on this unusual woman.

1905 - The Cullinan Diamond, weighing, in the rough, 3,106.75 carats, is found near Pretoria, South Africa.

1950 - The Republic of India is born, becoming the most populous democracy in the world.

1979 - The Dukes of Hazzard television series premiers on C.B.S.

1988 - The Phantom of the Opera opens in New York City, the first performance of over 4,000.

Of all the hundreds of items listed in the compendiums (compendia?) of historical dates, those are the ones that caught my attention.

Tomorrow is also a day.