Born on this day
Sunday, February 8, 1829. : Science fiction writer, Jules Verne, is born.
Jules Verne was born in Nantes, France, on 8 February 1828. He initially studied law, but then became interested in the theatre and wrote librettos for operettas. He soon realised his talent lay in writing extraordinary and imaginative stories of voyages and adventures which allowed him a creative outlet for his fascination with science and geography.
Verne is best known for such science-fiction classics as ‘Journey to the Centre of the Earth’, ‘From the Earth to the Moon, ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’, ‘The Mysterious Island’ and ‘Around the World in Eighty Days’. Verne had unusual foresight of the future, implementing creative ideas which included the submarine, aqualung, television and space travel. In 1863, he wrote a novel entitled ‘Paris in the 20th century’, which described the life of a young man who lived in a world of glass skyscrapers, high-speed trains, gas-powered automobiles, calculators, and a worldwide communications network, yet could not find happiness, and came to a tragic end. Verne was advised that such a pessimistic novel would ruin his literary career, and was advised to put it aside for twenty years. Placed in a safe, the manuscript was discovered by his great-grandson in 1989, an uncanny portent of life in the late 20th century.
Verne died on 24 March 1905. According to UNESCO statistics, he remains the most translated novelist in the world, having been translated into 148 languages.
Australian History
Saturday, February 8, 1879. : Ned Kelly and his gang converge upon the small town of Jerilderie prior to robbing the bank.
Edward ‘Ned’ Kelly was Australia’s most notorious bushranger. He was still a teenager when he embarked on his life of crime, which began with petty theft from wealthy landowners. Once he formed his gang, consisting of himself, his brother Dan, Joe Byrne and Steve Hart, the bushrangers gradually progressed to crimes of increasing violence, including armed robbery and murder.
One of the Kelly gang’s most famous robberies took place in Jerilderie, a small town in southern New South Wales. On the morning of 8 February 1879, the gang rode into Jerilderie, first taking captive Constables Devine and Richards and locking them in their own cell. They then donned the police uniforms and informed the townsfolk they were there to protect the town pounds. The following day, the gang captured and imprisoned the staff of the Royal Mail Hotel, then went next door to the Bank of New South Wales, from which they stole over two thousand pounds.
The Kelly gang caused further havoc in town, removing part of the telegraph line and ordering the local bootmaker to start cutting down wooden telegraph poles. They stole many loan and mortgage documents from the bank and proceeded to burn them in an effort to protect struggling property owners from being in debt to the bank. It was also on this occasion that the famous Jerilderie letter was written (see entry for 10 February).
Australian History
Tuesday, February 8, 1983. : A vast dust storm sweeps across Melbourne, Australia.
Australia is regarded as the driest hot continent on the Earth, and dust storms are common in its interior. Occasionally, particularly in times of prolonged drought, dust storms will also affect coastal areas. 1982 was the driest year on record for the Mallee and northern Wimmera district in Victoria, and as vegetation was killed off by the heat and lack of water, the topsoil was exposed and loosened. By early 1983, Victoria had reported numerous smaller dust storms in its northwest.
On 8 February 1983, a strong, dry cold front began crossing Victoria, preceded by hot, gusty northerly winds. The wind picked up the loose topsoil and, raising a dust cloud 320m deep, advanced towards Melbourne, already suffering a record February maximum temperature of 43.2°C. The dust storm hit the city around 3pm, dropping the temperatures dramatically, whilst wind squalls uprooted trees and unroofed houses. Visibility dropped to around 100m as the storm dumped approximately 1,000 tonnes of topsoil on the city.
The total mass of the 1983 Melbourne dust storm was estimated to be about two million tonnes: at its height, it extended across the entire width of Victoria, and was several kilometres deep. The cost of the damage of drought and dust storm combined was ultimately tens of millions of dollars.
Australian History
Thursday, February 8, 2001. : South Australia adopts the Leafy Seadragon as its marine emblem.
The Leafy seadragon (Phycodurus eques) is a member of the fish family, and related to the seahorse. It is a unique creature with leaf-like appendages which serve very effectively to camouflage the fish from predators, giving it the appearance of seaweed. The effect is enhanced by the animal’s green to yellow-brown colouring, which can be altered, depending on stress, diet, location, temperature and other external factors. A quite defenceless creature, the Leafy seadragon averages around 30 cm in length, but is equipped with a number of long sharp spines along the side of its body, believed to be used as defence against attacking fish. It is found primarily through the coastal waters of South Australia, although its range extends as far as Geraldton in Western Australia, and east to Wilson’s Promontory in Victoria.
Not all of Australia’s states or territories have a marine emblem. However, the leafy seadragon was adopted as the marine emblem of South Australia on 8 February 2001. The year 2005 saw the introduction of the biennial Leafy Seadragon Festival by the District Council of Yankalilla in the southern Fleurieu Peninsula in South Australia.
World History
Sunday, February 8, 1587. : Mary, Queen of Scots, is executed on suspicion of conspiracy to murder Elizabeth, heir to the throne of England.
Mary, Queen of Scots, also known as Mary Stuart, was born on 8 December 1542, daughter of Mary de Guise of France and James V of Scotland. When her father died on December 14, the baby Mary became Queen of Scotland but James Hamilton, Duke of Arran, served as regent for Mary. Mary’s mother wished to cement an alliance with France, so arranged a betrothal for the young Mary to France’s dauphin, Francois. At age 6, Mary was then sent to France to be groomed for her future role as Queen of France, which she took up in 1559.
As the granddaughter of Margaret Tudor, the older sister of Henry VIII of England, Mary Stuart was considered to be the rightful heir to the English throne. This was over Elizabeth, daughter of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, whose marriage was not recognised by many Catholics in England because Henry had unlawfully divorced Catherine of Aragon. Mary Stuart, in their eyes, was the rightful heir of Mary I of England, Henry VIII’s daughter by his first wife.
Francois died on 5 December 1560, and Mary’s mother-in-law, Catherine de Medici, became regent for his brother Charles IX. Mary Stuart then returned to Scotland to rule as Queen, but did not recognise Elizabeth’s right to rule in England. Years of plotting and controversy followed as Mary tried to assert her right to the throne, with many conspirators on either side of Mary or Elizabeth being killed as they obstructed the way of the other. Ultimately, the attempt to place Mary on the Scottish throne resulted in her trial, which commenced on 11 October 1586. Mary Queen of Scots was executed on 8 February 1587, on suspicion of having been involved in a plot to murder Elizabeth.