July 28
Born on this day Monday, July 28, 1902. : Australian Aboriginal painter, Albert Namatjira, is born. Albert Namatjira was born Elea Namatjira on 28 July 1902. He was born into the Arrernte tribe of the Northern Territory. Namatjira was raised at the Lutheran mission school, Hermannsburg, near Alice Springs. In his early years, he learned to paint […]
July 09
Born on this day Monday, July 9, 1894. : Percy LeBaron Spencer, the inventor of the microwave oven, is born. Percy LeBaron Spencer, inventor of the microwave oven, was born on 9 July 1894 in Howland, Maine, USA. Orphaned when he was young, he was raised by his aunt and uncle. Spencer left school at age 12 […]
July 25
Australian Explorers Friday, July 25, 1862. : After successfully crossing Australia from south to north, John McDouall Stuart raises the British flag at the mouth of the Mary River. John McDouall Stuart was officially the first white man to successfully lead an inland expedition from Australia’s south to the north, and return alive. Born in Dysart, Fife, […]
July 08
Australian Explorers Tuesday, July 8, 1862. : John McDouall Stuart discovers the Katherine River. John McDouall Stuart was a Scottish-born explorer who was determined to cross Australia from south to north. Stuart led a total of six expeditions into Australia’s interior, with five of them being attempts to be the first to cross the continent from south […]
July 04
Born on this day Tuesday, July 4, 1854. : Controversial Australian political figure, King O’Malley, is born. King O’Malley was born on 4 July 1854 at Stanford Farm on the Canadian American border, although the exact date and place of his birth is not completely certain. He immigrated to Australia in 1889 where he worked as an […]
July 03
Australian History Wednesday, July 3, 1850. : Work begins on the first NSW railway line from Sydney to Parramatta. Up until the mid-1800s, the horse and carriage remained the major means of transporting goods and people across Australia’s long distances overland. Both New South Wales and Victoria were keen to develop a railway network, and Victoria was […]
July 22
Born on this day Monday, July 22, 1844. : William Archibald Spooner, from whom the word ‘spoonerism’ was derived, is born. William Archibald Spooner was born in London on 22 July 1844. He became an Anglican priest, and later lectured at Oxford in history, philosophy and divinity. Although a brilliant scholar, Spooner was known for his unwitting […]
July 06
Australian Explorers Tuesday, July 6, 1841. : Australian explorer Eyre reaches King’s River, just short of his final destination of King George’s Sound on his epic journey from east to west, only to find the river too high to cross on horseback. Edward John Eyre’s westward journey across the Australian continent began at Streaky Bay on 3 […]
July 29
Australian History Friday, July 29, 1836. : Governor Richard Bourke enacts the Church Act, allocating public funds for the advancement of other churches besides the Church of England in New South Wales. Major-General Sir Richard Bourke was the eighth Governor of New South Wales. He succeeded Lieutenant General Sir Ralph Darling, and was appointed Governor on 3 […]
July 27
Australian History Wednesday, July 27, 1836. : The first formal European settlement in South Australia is established on Kangaroo Island. Kangaroo Island is a protected and unspoilt island off the coast of South Australia. Australia’s third-largest island after Tasmania and Melville Islands, it is 112 km southwest of the state capital, Adelaide. The first European to land […]