Australian Explorers
Tuesday, November 17, 1840. : Eyre replenishes his supplies at Fowler’s Bay, South Australia, as he prepares to cross the continent to the west.
Edward John Eyre was the first white man to cross southern Australia from Adelaide to the west, travelling across the Nullarbor Plain to King George’s Sound, now called Albany. Eyre began the journey with his overseer, John Baxter, and three Aborigines, intending to cross the continent from south to north. He was forced to revise his plans when his way became blocked by the numerous saltpans of South Australia, leading him to believe that a gigantic inland sea in the shape of a horseshoe prevented access to the north.
Following this fruitless attempt, Eyre regrouped at Streaky Bay, on the west coast of the Eyre Peninsula. He then travelled on past where Ceduna is today, reaching Fowler’s Bay on 17 November 1840. Here, he replenished his food and water supplies from the government cutter ‘Waterwitch’. He had to choose between attempting another northward trek, or heading west, which had never before been attempted. Eyre chose to go west, finally reaching Albany in an epic journey of courage and determination.
World History
Wednesday, November 17, 1869. : The Suez Canal, linking the Mediterranean and Red seas, is formally opened to shipping traffic.
The Egyptian pharaohs were the first to conceive the idea of linking the Mediterranean Sea with the Red Sea. During the Pharaonic age, a canal was dug linking the two seas, but neglect through the centuries saw it gradually filled it again. It was not until November, 1854, that French engineer Ferdinand De-lesseps managed to sign a concession with the Egyptian government to dig the Suez Canal, establishing an international company for its management.
Over 2.4 million Egyptian workers were involved in the digging of the canal; over 125,000 lost their lives during the construction. The Suez Canal was opened for navigation on 17 November 1869. Currently, it transports around 14% of the total world trade, 26% of oil exports and 41% of the total goods and cargo destined for ports in the Arab Gulf. Prior to its construction, shipping was required to go south of the Cape of Good Hope.
World History
Tuesday, November 17, 1970. : The first computer mouse is patented by Douglas Engelbart.
Douglas C Engelbart, born on 30 January 1925, was an American inventor. In collaboration with William English, he invented the computer mouse. The first prototype computer mouse was made to use with a graphical user interface, in 1964. Engelbart’s computer mouse was patented on 17 November 1970, under the name “X-Y Position Indicator for a Display System”. Calling it a mouse because of its tail-like cable, it was simply a hollowed-out wooden block with two metal wheels and a single push button on top. It was designed to select text and manipulate it, such as moving it around. Engelbart’s invention was revolutionary for changing the way computers worked, from specialised machinery that only trained scientists could use, to user-friendly tools that almost anyone could use.
World History
Sunday, November 17, 2002. : The most recent spectacular show of the Leonids meteor shower is observed.
The Leonids meteor shower is a spectacular display of shooting stars that occurs annually between November 12 and 23, tending to peak on November 17 each year. They are associated with the comet Temple-Tuttle, and are presumed to be comprised of particles ejected by the comet as it passes by the sun each November. The meteor shower gained its name from the fact that it appears in or near the constellation of Leo. Roughly following a 33-year cycle in greatest visibility, some of the most spectacular displays have been seen in mid-November 1698, 1799, 1833, 1866, 1966 and, most recently, on 17 November 2002.