Australian History
Saturday, January 10, 1852. : South Australia’s first lighthouse begins operation.
Kangaroo Island is a protected and unspoilt island off the coast of South Australia, and 112 km southwest of the state capital, Adelaide. With an area of 4405 sq km, it is Australia’s third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Islands.
The Cape Willoughby lighthouse is situated at the eastern extremity of Kangaroo Island, and lights the 11km wide Backstairs Passage between the island and the South Australian mainland. It was the first lighthouse erected in South Australia, and originally known as the Sturt Light after Captain Charles Sturt, who traced the Murray River to its mouth on the southern coastline, effectively opening the riverways for paddlesteamer traffic between South Australia and the eastern states.
The light first began operating on 10 January 1852. Notice of its commencement was announced by the Colonial Secretary’s Office, Adelaide, on 30 December 1851, whereupon it was stated that the light would be operational from sunset to sunrise daily. The light itself has undergone numerous changes since that time, and was finally automated in 1974.
Australian History
Wednesday, January 10, 1968. : John Gorton is sworn in as Australian Prime Minister following the disappearance of Harold Holt.
John Grey Gorton was born on 9 September 1911 in either Melbourne, Victoria or Wellington, New Zealand. There is some doubt as to both the place and the date of his birth, as no birth certificate for him has ever been identified. Gorton’s parents, John Rose Gorton and Alice Sinn, were not married, and after young John’s mother died of tuberculosis in 1920, John was taken in by his father’s wife, Kathleen Gorton. Kathleen looked after both John and an older sister, Ruth, whom John was originally told had died in infancy. John’s father lived in Melbourne and tended to various properties in Victoria while Kathleen raised the children in Sydney.
When John was 16, Kathleen and Ruth moved to London. John lived on his father’s orchard property, ‘Mystic Park’, near Kerang in northern Victoria. He boarded at Geelong Grammar for his final two years of schooling where he excelled in several areas, being appointed as a prefect and representing his school in rowing, football and athletics. The headmaster, James Darling, convinced Gorton’s father to send his son to Oxford University, where John studied history, politics and economics whilst working towards a career in journalism. Soon after he graduated in 1935, he married Bettina Brown, and returned to his father’s orchard near Kerang to live. It was here that his three children, Johanna, Michael and Robin, were born.
Gorton served in World War II between 1940 and 1944 in the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Reserve. In January 1942, he made a forced crash landing in Sumatra, and sustained facial injuries that led to permanent mild disfigurement. After the war, he returned to live on his father’s orchard. It was here that he had his first taste of politics, serving on the Kerang Shire Council between 1946 and 1952, and as shire president in 1949-50. During this time, he became involved with the Liberal and Country Party (LCP) in the Victorian Legislative Council. In 1950, he was sworn in as a Senator for Victoria. After nine years as a backbencher in Robert Menzies’ Liberal-Country Party (CP) coalition government, Gorton was promoted to the Cabinet where he gained distinction in his position as Minister for the Navy. During the 1960s, he continued his distinguished career, gaining experience in a range of portfolios, and also serving as Leader of Government in the Senate from 16 October 1967 to 1 February 1968.
In December 1967, Prime Minister Harold Holt disappeared in unusual circumstances whilst swimming at Cheviot Beach near Portsea on the Mornington Peninsula, Victoria. Although Holt’s body was never found, he was officially declared dead on 19 December 1967. John McEwen, leader of the Country Party, became caretaker Prime Minister until a new Liberal leader could be elected. However, McEwen threatened to withdraw all support of the Country Party in the Coalition if the deputy Liberal leader, William ‘Billy’ McMahon, became Prime Minister, so elections for a new party leader were held. On 9 January, Gorton stood for, and won, this election. McMahon, in the interests of party unity, did not stand against Gorton. On 10 January 1968, John Gorton was sworn in as the 19th Prime Minister of Australia.
Gorton’s rise to power was unusual, in that he was Australia’s first senator to ever become Prime Minister, as most party leaders come from the House of Representatives. Because of this, Gorton was required to resign from the Senate and win a seat in the House of Representatives. He won the by-election in Holt’s former seat of Higgins on 24 February 1968, and was sworn in to the House of Representatives on 1 March.
World History
Thursday, January 10, 1901. : Oil is discovered in Texas for the first time.
The famous ‘Spindletop’ gusher, the first major oil discovery in the United States, was discovered around 10:30am on the morning of 10 January 1901. Located in the town of Beaumont, Texas, ‘Spindletop’ signalled the beginning of the Texas oil industry. The drilling derrick stood on a site first known as Gladys Hill, but it was renamed Spindletop for a tree growing there, which resembled a child’s spinning toy. The initial gusher blew out six tons of drill pipe with enough force to sustain a 30 metre geyser of oil until it was capped ten days later, and flowed an estimated 100,000 barrels daily. By the time the well was capped, the drilling rig sat in a lake of oil.
The discovery came at a crucial time for the development of the automobile industry. Soon the price of petroleum-based fuels fell and they became an increasingly practical power source. The internal combustion engine replaced steam and battery power as the automobile power plant of choice.
World History
Thursday, January 10, 1946. : The United Nations General Assembly meets for the first time.
The term “United Nations” was first used officially during World War II, on 1 January 1942, when 26 states joined in the Declaration by the “United Nations”, pledging themselves to continue their joint war effort and not to seek peace as separate entities. During the course of the war, it was recognised that there was a need for a new organisation to replace the largely ineffectual League of Nations. This was stated in the Moscow Declaration, issued by China, Great Britain, the United States, and the USSR in 1943.
As the war drew to an end, USA President Franklin D Roosevelt, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, and Soviet Premier Joseph Stalin initiated a conference to take place in April 1945. Its purpose was to plan the charter of an organisation to promote peace, security, and economic development. Nations which had agreed to the original 1942 declaration, declaring war on Germany or Japan by 1 March 1945, were called to the founding conference held in San Francisco, to draft the UN charter. The conference was attended by representatives of fifty nations. The UN charter was signed on June 26 and ratified by the required number of states on 24 October 1945. The United Nations General Assembly met for the first time on 10 January 1946.
World History
Monday, January 10, 1949. : Los Angeles, with its usually sub-tropical climate, is hit by a freak snowstorm.
Los Angeles, or LA, California, is the second largest city in the United States. Situated as it is in a subtropical zone, it experiences a Mediterranean climate, with mild, wet winters and warm to hot, dry summers. However, on 10 January 1949, Los Angeles received nearly two centimetres of snow in a freak snowstorm which went on to last three days in the San Fernando Valley. The unusual phenomenon of palm trees and eucalyptus trees covered with snow mixed with the more normal sights of children, dismissed from schools, building snowmen in their own yards. There has not been another snowy winter since in the city.
World History
Wednesday, January 10, 1996. : A VW beetle gains the world record for the greatest automobile mileage.
The name ‘Volkswagen’ which translates literally as “people’s car” is the name of an automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Germany. The VW Type 1, better known as the Beetle or Bug or Käfer (in German), is a small family car and probably the best known car made by Volkswagen. During the Beetle’s production which commenced in 1938 and ended in 2003, over 21 million Beetles in the original design were made. On 30 July 2003, the final original VW Beetle (No. 21,529,464) was produced at Puebla, Mexico.
The car established a firm reputation for reliability and sturdiness. On 10 January 1996, an original 1963 VW Beetle belonging to Mr Albert Klein of Pasadena, California, had clocked up 1,592,503 miles, and was still running. This was the world’s record for automobile mileage of any small vehicle, and to date, has not been surpassed.
New Zealand History
Tuesday, January 10, 1928. : Aviators Hood and Moncrieff disappear on their attempt to make the first trans-Tasman flight from Australia to New Zealand.
George Hood was born on 24 June 1891 in Masterton on the North island of New Zealand. He became an aviator during World War I, serving with the New Zealand Expeditionary Force in Gallipoli, and later in France. In 1916 he transferred to the Royal Flying Corps, qualifying as a service pilot in October of the following year, but a crash resulted in his leg being amputated. Nonetheless, he maintained an interest in flying.
John Robert Moncrieff was born at Lerwick in the Shetland Islands on 22 September 1899 and emigrated to New Zealand in 1914. His public expression of interest in a trans-Tasman flight raised his profile, and eventually he joined forces with Hood for the attempt. Preparations began in December 1927 for the men to make the crossing between New Zealand and Australia. The aircraft chosen was an early model Ryan B-1 Brougham high-wing monoplane. Named ‘Aotearoa’, the Maori name for New Zealand, the aircraft was taken to Australia where it was test-flown by Moncrieff on 29 December.
There were concerns over whether the aircraft would be suitable for the trans-Tasman crossing. The radio and generator required major maintenance, and there was doubt that a plane which was essentially a land-plane was the best choice for a flight over such an expanse of water. Despite these concerns, Hood and Moncrieff set off from Richmond, Sydney at 0244 local time on Tuesday 10 January 1928. Erratic radio contact was maintained, but abruptly ceased some twelve hours later. No trace of the aircraft or its occupants was ever found. The only lasting legacy is Hood aerodrome in Masterton, named after George Hood.
Special Days
Tuesday, January 10, 2006. : Today is Peculiar People Day.
“Peculiar People Day” is celebrated on 10 January every year. It is a day to celebrate all those who may be considered a little idiosyncratic and out-of-step with the rest of the world. It honours all those who are uniquely different, contributing their own brand of quirkiness to the world, and who refuse to succumb to what others call ‘normal’. Peculiar People are especially celebrated for being the ones to bring about reforms, as they challenge social norms and refuse to accept things as they are.
Both the origin and the creator of Peculiar People Day are unknown. The only reference that can be found in history is to the Christian movement known as the Peculiar People, formed in Essex in 1838. However, the modern Peculiar People Day does not appear to have any connection with this movement which was based on strict interpretation of the Bible. References to Peculiar People Day in the modern sense seem to have first appeared in 2006.
Suggestions for how to celebrate Peculiar People Day include dyeing your hair an interesting colour; dressing yourself or your pets in unusual costumes; or doing something out of the ordinary that catches the attention of “normal” people. Whatever you decide is your own brand of quirkiness – from singing out of tune, to conversing with your garden ornaments, to enduring unusual phobias – this is your day to celebrate being peculiar.