Australian History

Wednesday, June 11, 1851. :   The first gold is found 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. 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, by Edward Hargraves. Less than three months later, on 9 August 1851, Victoria had its first gold strike at Sovereign Hill near Ballarat, and the real goldrush began when gold was discovered at Mt Alexander, 60km northeast of Ballarat, and close to the town of Bendigo.

However, the first payable gold in Victoria was actually found at Clunes and Warrandyte. James Esmond was a prospector who had come from the Californian goldfields, just like Edward Hargraves. He made what is believed to be the first gold discovery at Clunes on 11 June 1851. However, at almost the same time, gold was also discovered at Anderson’s Creek, near Warrandyte, by Melbourne publican Louis Michel. Both Clunes and Warrandyte claim to be the first town in Victoria where gold was found.

Australian History

Thursday, June 11, 1863. :   New South Wales sees the first public demonstration of electric lighting, to honour the marriage of the Prince of Wales.

Thanks to the efforts of Governor Richard Bourke, Sydney first received street lighting in the 1830s. Sydney was also the site of the first public demonstration of electric lighting in New South Wales. On 11 June 1863, the city was lit up to honour the occasion of the wedding of the Prince of Wales. This early electric lighting used arc lamps which burned extremely hot, and produced fumes, so they could not be used indoors.

Electric lighting was used regularly in Sydney from 1878. Again, this involved the use of arc lamps to allow work on the Exhibition Garden Palace in the Botanical Gardens to be completed in time for the International Exhibition the government wished to host.

By 1896, the government sought advice from Edison, Swan and various other experts, and subsequently planned ahead to legislate for the eventual establishment of The Municipal Council of Sydney’s Electricity Undertaking. On 8 July 1904, the Electricity Undertaking’s supply system was officially switched on. At 5:00pm on this day, Sydney’s Lord Mayor Samuel E Lees started the steam to fire up the engine and generators, while his wife, the Lady Mayoress, switched on the actual electric current with a special gold presentation key.

Australian History

Thursday, June 11, 1992. :   The Mount Schank State Heritage Area, around extinct volcanic remnant Mount Schank, is declared.

Mount Schank, in South Australia, is a volcanic cinder cone which rises about 100m above the surrounding coastal plain. It lies about 12.5 kilometres south of Mount Gambier, the remnant of another extinct volcano which is believed to be slightly younger than Mount Schank. It was named by James Grant, a young lieutenant sent out on a survey voyage of the southern coast, in December 1800, to honour Captain (later Admiral) John Schank of the Royal Navy.

Volcanic activity from thousands of years ago is evident in the landscape of volcanic craters, lakes, caves and underground aquifers in the area. The region is also believed to be the site of the most recent volcanic activity in Australia’s ancient past. Mount Schank is estimated to have first erupted about 4,500 years ago.

On 11 June 1992, the Mount Schank State Heritage Area was declared, in order to protect the unique geological formations of the area. The lack of urban development around Mount Schank, as compared to Mount Gambier, makes the site of great value to scientists for learning more about Australia’s volcanic history.

World History

Friday, June 11, 1509. :   Henry VIII marries the first of his six wives, Catherine of Aragon.

Henry VIII was born on 28 June 1491 at the Palace of Placentia at Greenwich, England. He was the third child of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. In 1494, he was created Duke of York. He was subsequently appointed Earl Marshal of England and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, though still a child. His elder brother Arthur and Catherine of Aragon married in 1501, but his brother died of an infection very soon afterwards. At the age of eleven, Henry, Duke of York, found himself heir-apparent to the Throne. Soon thereafter, he was created Prince of Wales.

Henry VIII ascended the throne in 1509 after the death of his father Henry VII. He married Catherine of Aragon about nine weeks after his accession, on 11 June 1509, at Greenwich. Queen Catherine suffered numerous failed pregnancies until she gave birth to a daughter in 1516. Henry sought to divorce Catherine over her inability to produce a male heir, but the Pope refused permission: Henry divorced her anyway. He pronounced himself Head of a new Protestant religion known as the Church of England and took the power for himself. Henry VIII became notorious for his many wives, eventually marrying Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr.

World History

Thursday, June 11, 1987. :   British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher wins a record third term.

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, née Roberts, was born on 13 October 1925 in the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire, eastern England. She was to become one of the dominant political figures during the 1980s after she became Britain’s first female Prime Minister on 4 May 1979. An Oxford-educated chemist and lawyer, she led the Conservatives to a 44-seat majority. Mrs Thatcher’s election campaign promised income tax cuts, reduction in public expenditure, and strategies to make it easier for people to buy their own homes and curb the power of the unions.

Thatcher remained in power for 11 years, implementing tax policy reforms, some of which were successful, and some which were not. She won a record third term on 11 June 1978, making her the first prime minister for more than 160 years to win three successive terms of office. The Conservative Party’s winning candidate beat Labour by 376 to 229 seats.

Thatcher’s poll-tax policy of 1990 resulted in protests and rioting in English cities, and largely led to her downfall. Her poll tax, together with her opposition to further British integration into the European Community, alienated some members of her own party and in November 1990 she failed to receive a majority in the Conservative Party’s annual vote for selection of a leader. Thatcher resigned in November 1990.

World History

Friday, June 11, 1999. :   Star Trek star, DeForest Kelley, who played “Bones” McCoy, dies.

DeForest Kelley was born on 20 January 1920 in Atlanta, Georgia. The son of a Baptist minister, he sang in the church choir as a child, which led to him singing solos and gaining an appearance on radio station WSB in Atlanta. Following this exposure, he won an engagement with Lew Forbes and his orchestra at the Paramount Theatre, his first real taste of the entertainment industry. He decided to pursue an acting career after he completed three years serving in World War II as a member of the Army Air Forces.

In the early years of his acting career, he played mostly minor characters in Western movies and TV Westerns. He gradually built up an impressive list of credits, alternating between television and motion pictures. He eventually won the role of Dr Leonard “Bones” McCoy, ironic for the fact that he had originally wanted to be a doctor, but his family could not afford for him to go to college. He played Dr McCoy from 1966 to 1969 in Star Trek (The Original Series) and in the first six Star Trek motion pictures 1979 to 1991. He also had a humorous cameo role in the first episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, “Encounter at Farpoint”. Kelley died from stomach cancer on 11 June 1999, the first member of the original Star Trek cast to pass away.

New Zealand History

Tuesday, June 11, 1901. :   New Zealand annexes the Cook Islands.

The Cook Islands are a self-governing parliamentary democracy in the South Pacific Ocean, named after Captain Cook who sighted them in 1770. Situated about halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii, they consist of about fifteen small islands with a total land area of 240 square kilometres.

The Cook Islands became a British protectorate at their own request in 1888, then were transferred to New Zealand on 11 June 1901. They remained a New Zealand protectorate until 1965, after which they became a self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand. Today, the Cook Islands are essentially independent, but are still officially placed under New Zealand sovereignty. New Zealand oversees the country’s foreign relations and defence, but may not impose legislation on the Cook Islands without the latter’s consent. The Cook Islands are one of three New Zealand dependencies, along with Tokelau and Niue.