Australian History
Tuesday, January 22, 1788. : Captain Arthur Phillip names Manly Cove in Sydney.
In 1786 the decision was made in England to send a colonisation party of convicts, military and civilian personnel to Botany Bay, under the command of Captain Arthur Phillip, who was appointed Governor-designate. The First Fleet consisted of 775 convicts on board six transport ships, accompanied by officials, crew, marines and their families who together totalled 645. As well as the convict transports, there were two naval escorts and three storeships.
The Fleet assembled in Portsmouth, England, and set sail on 13 May 1787. They arrived in Botany Bay on 18 January 1788. Phillip immediately determined that there was insufficient fresh water, an absence of usable timber, poor quality soil and no safe harbour at Botany Bay. Phillip therefore set out on a reconnaissance mission north to Port Jackson to find a more suitable place to establish the colony.
Whilst exploring the area of the Northern beaches, the home of the Cannalgal and Kay-e-my clans of the Guringai people, Phillip noticed a group of natives who waded into the water, unarmed, and curiously approached Phillip’s boats. Impressed by what he described as “their confidence and manly behaviour”, he named the region Manly Cove. The date was 22 January 1788.
Australian History
Sunday, January 22, 1899. : Leaders of six Australian colonies meet in Melbourne to discuss a federation bill.
Prior to 1901, Australia was made up of six self-governing colonies; New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland, Western Australia and Tasmania. These colonies were ultimately under British rule from the time the First Fleet landed, in 1788, until 1901. Numerous politicians and influential Australians through the years had pushed for federation of the colonies, and self-government. On 22 January 1899, leaders of the six Australian colonies met in Melbourne to discuss a federation bill.
After not being accepted by the states the first time, the amended Commonwealth Constitution was given Royal Assent on 9 July 1900. On 1 January 1901, federation of the colonies was achieved and the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed.
Australian History
Friday, January 22, 1988. : Tennant Creek, Australia, is hit by three earthquakes, one registering 6.7 on the Richter scale.
Tennant Creek is a small town of less than 4,000 people on the Stuart Highway in Australia’s Northern Territory, approximately 1000 kilometres south of Darwin, and 500 kilometres north of Alice Springs. The town is surrounded by sandy desert, grassy plains, flat-topped hills and granite boulders. Prior to 1987, there was no history of earthquakes occurring in the region. The first quake occurred on 8 January 1987 and registered 5.4 on the Richter Scale.
On 22 January 1988, three large earthquakes were felt in Tennant Creek. The smallest occurred at 10:06am CST and registered a magnitude of 6.3 on the Richter Scale, whilst the largest occurred at 9:35pm, registering 6.7. Whilst no one was seriously injured, the quake jolted furniture and created cracks in established walls. The quakes were felt in Darwin, and effects of the largest quake were noted in Cairns, northern Queensland, and even in high-rise buildings in the capital cities of Perth and Adelaide. The quakes’ epicentres were located approximately 40km southwest of Tennant Creek, limiting the cost of the quake to a mere A$1.2 million, with the main damage being to a high pressure gas pipeline from Alice Springs to Darwin. The quake also resulted in a surface rupture up to a metre high and two metres wide, extending for 35km.
World History
Tuesday, January 22, 1901. : Queen Victoria of England dies.
England’s Queen Victoria was born on 24 May 1819 at Kensington Palace in London. Although christened Alexandrina Victoria, from birth she was formally styled Her Royal Highness Princess Victoria of Kent. Victoria’s father died when she was less than a year old. Her grandfather, George III, died less than a week later. Princess Victoria’s uncle, the Prince of Wales, inherited the Crown, becoming King George IV. When George IV died in 1830, he left the throne to his brother, the Duke of Clarence and St Andrews, who became King William IV. Victoria was recognised as heiress-presumptive to the British throne, and in 1837, at the age of 18, she succeeded her uncle, William IV, to the throne to become the last monarch of the House of Hanover.
In 1840, Victoria married her first cousin, Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, with whom she had nine children. As well as being queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, she was also the first monarch to use the title Empress of India. Victoria’s 64-year reign was marked by enormous growth and expansion of the British empire.
Queen Victoria died on the Isle of Wight on 22 January 1901, having reigned for sixty-three years, seven months, and two days, more than any British monarch before or since.
New Zealand History
Wednesday, January 22, 1840. : The first British colonists to New Zealand arrive on Auckland Island.
In December 1642, Dutch explorer Abel Tasman sighted a new land which he described as mountainous and covered in cloud in the south, but more barren in the north. He had discovered New Zealand. The islands were named after the Dutch province of Zeeland. However, New Zealand remained largely unknown until Captain James Cook sailed past in 1769 and explored the island, charting the coastline extensively. Following Cook’s detailed report, the usual run of Whalers, missionaries, and traders followed.
In 1840, Britain formally annexed the islands, and New Zealand’s first permanent European settlement was established on 22 January 1840. New Zealand was initially part of the Australian colony of New South Wales. It became a separate colony in 1841 and became self-governing in 1852. Dominion status was attained in 1907, and full independence was granted in 1931 and ratified by New Zealand in 1947.