Search A Day Of The Year In History

Australian Explorers Tuesday, October 1, 1844. :   German explorer Ludwig Leichhardt sets out from the Darling Downs to travel northwest to Port Essington. Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig Leichhardt was born...

Born on this day Saturday, October 2, 1869. :   Political leader and humanitarian, Mahatma Gandhi, is born. Mahatma Gandhi was born Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi on 2 October 1869 in...

Born on this day Tuesday, October 3, 1916. :   Inventor of the portable defibrillator, James F Pantridge, is born. James Francis “Frank” Pantridge was born on 3 October 1916,...

Australian History Wednesday, October 4, 1797. :   The first flock of Spanish Merinos, upon which Australia’s wool industry was founded, arrive in Sydney. In the early years of settlement,...

Australian History Monday, October 5, 1789. :   Australia’s first ferry service begins operation. Australia was colonised by the English in January 1788, and the colony of Sydney quickly grew....

Born on this day Tuesday, October 6, 1914. :   Thor Heyerdahl, the Norwegian explorer who led the Kon-Tiki expedition, is born. Thor Heyerdahl, born on 6 October 1914 in...

Australian Explorers Sunday, October 7, 1798. :   Sea explorers Flinders and Bass set out to prove that Van Diemen’s Land (Tasmania) is an island. Matthew Flinders and George Bass...

Born on this day Sunday, October 8, 1939. :   Australian actor and comedian, Paul Hogan, is born. Paul Hogan was born on 8 October 1939, in the north-western New...

Born on this day Wednesday, October 9, 1940. :   Singer, songwriter and former member of “The Beatles”, John Lennon, is born. John Lennon was born John Winston Lennon on...

Australian Explorers Monday, October 10, 1774. :   Captain Cook discovers Norfolk Island. Norfolk Island lies approximately 1,500 km northeast of Sydney, and along with two neighbouring islands forms one...

Born on this day Saturday, October 11, 1738. :   Captain Arthur Phillip, first Governor of New South Wales, is born. Arthur Phillip was born in London on 11 October...

Australian History Friday, October 12, 1838. :   Second Governor of South Australia, Lieutenant George Gawler, arrives in the colony. George Gawler was born on 21 July 1795 in Devon,...

Australian Explorers Thursday, October 13, 1836. :   One of Mitchell’s men drowns as his expedition returns from the successful ‘Australia Felix’ discovery. Major Thomas Mitchell was born in Craigend,...

Australian History Monday, October 14, 1889. :   Australia’s first electric trams begin operating. A tram is a rail-borne vehicle, lighter than a train, for the transport of passengers. Some...

Born on this day Wednesday, October 15, 1924. : Actor Mark Lenard, best known as Spock’s father, Sarek, in Star Trek, is born. Mark Lenard was born...

Born on this day Friday, October 16, 1863. : Daisy Bates, the Irish-born Australian woman who lived for many years among the Aborigines, is born. Daisy Bates...

Australian History Tuesday, October 17, 1854. :   Amidst the unrest which eventually led to the Eureka rebellion, the Eureka Hotel is burnt to the ground during a riot. The...

Australian Explorers Sunday, October 18, 1818. :   Oxley loses a valuable horse crossing Camden Haven, New South Wales. Following the successful expedition during which Oxley discovered the rich Liverpool...

Born on this day Saturday, October 19, 1833. :   Australian horseman and poet, Adam Lindsay Gordon, is born. Adam Lindsay Gordon was born on 19 October 1833, at Fayal...

Born on this day Wednesday, October 20, 1632. :   The great English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, is born. Sir Christopher Wren was a 17th century English architect. He was...

Australian History Wednesday, October 21, 1818. :   Notorious bushranger of Van Diemen’s Land, Michael Howe, is killed. Michael Howe was a bushranger active in Van Diemen’s Land (later Tasmania)...

Born on this day Tuesday, October 22, 1811. :   Hungarian piano virtuoso and composer, Franz Liszt, is born. Franz Liszt was a composer of the Romantic Era, the period...

Born on this day Saturday, October 23, 1813. :   Explorer Ludwig Leichhardt, first to travel from the eastern coast to Port Essington in the north, is born. Friedrich Wilhelm...

Australian History Thursday, October 24, 1889. :   Sir Henry Parkes, ‘Father of Australian Federation’, makes his famous Tenterfield Oration. Henry Parkes was born in Warwickshire, England, on 27 May...

Born on this day Tuesday, October 25, 1881. :   Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is born. Pablo Picasso was born Pablo Diego Jose Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno Maria de...

Australian History Saturday, October 26, 1985. :   The Australian Government returns ownership of Uluru – Kata Tjuta National Park to its traditional owners. Uluru, in central Australia, is an...

Born on this day Saturday, October 27, 1466. :   Erasmus, translator of the first Greek New Testament, is born. For centuries, the Bible was out of reach of most...

Australian History Saturday, October 28, 1916. :   Australia’s first referendum on conscription fails. William Morris ‘Billy’ Hughes was Australia’s seventh Prime Minister. Born in London on 25 September 1862,...

Born on this day Wednesday, October 29, 1947. :   American actor Richard Dreyfuss is born. Actor Richard Dreyfuss was born on 29 October 1947. After spending his early childhood...

Born on this day Thursday, October 30, 1451. :   Christopher Columbus, discoverer of the Americas, is born. Christopher Columbus is believed to have been born circa 30 October 1451:...

Australian Explorers Saturday, October 31, 1818. :   Oxley’s expedition party is attacked by Aborigines as they camp near Port Stephens. After discovering the rich, fertile country of the Liverpool...