Australian Explorers
Thursday, January 28, 1802. : Flinders discovers and names Fowlers Bay in South Australia.
Matthew Flinders was born on 16 March 1774 in Lincolnshire, England. He became a sea explorer, and arrived in Australia in the 1790s. Australia was previously known as New Holland, and Flinders first proposed the name “Terra Australis”, which became “Australia”, the name adopted in 1824. Flinders, together with George Bass, did much sea exploration around Australia, adding to the knowledge of the coastline, and producing accurate maps. Between December 1801 and June 1803, Flinders charted the entire coastline of Australia. On 28 January 1802, Flinders anchored in Fowler’s Bay on the southern coast, and described it as “a well sheltered cove affording wood and water”. He named it after his first lieutenant, Robert Fowler. Fowlers Bay later became a major whaling centre, and the supply depot for Edward Eyre’s expedition across the Nullarbor Plain in 1839.
Australian History
Sunday, January 28, 2007. : Harry Melbourne, creator of the Freddo Frog, dies at age 94.
The Freddo Frog is one of Australia’s most popular children’s chocolates and is considered an Australian icon. The chocolate is also sold in New Zealand, Ireland and the United Kingdom. Although it began as frog-shaped plain chocolate, it now comes in a variety of flavours, and with a variety of fillings such as caramel, peppermint and strawberry.
Harry Melbourne was an employee of confectionery maker MacRobertson Chocolates in 1930 when owner Macpherson Robertson disclosed that he was considering making a chocolate mouse. Melbourne suggested he reconsider, as he believed women and children were afraid of mice, and the chocolate would be unpopular. Macpherson Robertson accepted his suggestion, and the ‘Freddo Frog’ was born.
Harry Melbourne died on 28 January 2007, aged 94. At his funeral, his coffin was covered with a Freddo Frog flag.
World History
Wednesday, January 28, 1807. : The first public street lighting with gas takes place in Pall Mall, London.
William Murdock was a Scottish engineer, and the inventor of gas lighting. Born in East Ayrshire in 1754, he became the first person to use coal to produce gas for lighting. For many years he worked with steam engine manufacturer James Watt, and evidence suggests that Watt and Murdock collaborated on many mechanical inventions. Murdock was also interested in chemistry, and made many discoveries in that field.
Murdock’s best known invention, however, is the application of gas lighting as a replacement for oil and tallow produced light. He first began experimenting with the use of gas derived from the combustion of coal and other materials for lighting, in 1792. He implemented gas lighting within his own cottage between 1792 and 1794, and over the ensuing years, perfected the method, including practicalities such as the collection, storage and transportation of gas. By 1798, he had developed gas lighting to a point where he was using manufactured gas to light his whole factory. In 1804, he built a gas works to light a large cotton mill in Manchester, England. The first public street lighting with gas took place in Pall Mall, London, on 28 January 1807. The world’s first gas company was established some five years later.
World History
Tuesday, January 28, 1986. : The Space Shuttle ‘Challenger’ explodes, killing seven.
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA’s second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, after Columbia. Its first voyage was on 4 April 1983, and it made eight further round trips to low earth orbit before its final ill-fated flight in January 1986. On board were mission commander Francis R Scobee, pilot Michael J Smith, mission specialists Ronald E McNair, Ellison S Onizuka, and Judith A Resnik, payload specialist Gregory B Jarvis and schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe. 37-year-old McAuliffe was to be the first civilian to fly into space as part of a new program called TISP, the Teacher In Space Program.
After lifting off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, at 11:38am on 28 January 1986, the Challenger exploded, just 73 seconds into its launch. All crew members were killed instantly. Investigations later revealed that the spacecraft broke up during the launch due to an unusually cold morning and the failure of rubber seals in the booster engines called “O rings” that failed to seal properly. Space shuttle missions resumed in September, 1988.
World History
Wednesday, January 28, 2004. : A decomposing sperm whale explodes on the streets of Taiwan.
In mid-January of 2004, a sperm whale beached itself on the southwestern coast of Taiwan. Over a period of thirteen hours, it took three large cranes, and 50 workers to shift the beached sperm whale onto the back of a truck. The intention was to then take the whale to the National Cheng Kung University for a necropsy. However, whilst travelling through Tainan City, a buildup of gas inside the body caused it to explode, showering blood and whale entrails over surrounding shop-fronts, bystanders and cars. One local resident was reported as saying, “What a stinking mess! This blood and other stuff that blew out on the road is disgusting, and the smell is really awful.”
Special Days
Wednesday, January 28, 1981. : Today is Data Privacy Day.
International Data Privacy Day is recognised in over fifty countries around the world. This day, known as Data Protection Day in Europe, observes the signing of Convention 108, the first legally binding international treaty concerned with privacy and data protection. The treaty was opened for signature by the member States and for concurrence by non-member States on 28 January 1981. Convention 108 also outlaws the processing of sensitive data on specifics such as an individual’s race, health, religion, political views, etc if other legal safeguards are not present.
On this day, and into the future, it is essential that people consider their online privacy. While they might not think they have secrets, they should have. As long as individuals have control of what they reveal to others, they are able to provide the best image when going for a job interview. They are more secure in their financial dealings and less likely to suffer from loss due to personal details being revealed to scammers. For example, one’s date and place of birth, driver’s licence details and other private information can be used to set up fraudulent bank loans and accounts. Data protection goes beyond even these aspects: it includes awareness of the dangers of botnets, malware, phishing and scam sites, and even the invasion of privacy allowed through the use – authorised or otherwise – of webcams. Campaigns in association with Data Privacy Day aim to educate people of the risks they take when they give out personal information online.