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 to work in a mill, then joined the US Navy in 1912 to learn wireless telegraphy. He joined the Raytheon Company in the 1920s.

He was working as an engineer with the Raytheon company when he was experimenting with and testing a magnetron. The magnetron was invented during WWII and allowed the Allies to pinpoint the exact locations of Nazi war machines and arsenals, as the magnetron produced microwaves which radar then bounced off the arsenals, and back to the Allies. Whilst testing the magnetron after the war, Dr Spencer reached into his pocket for his chocolate bar, and discovered it had completely melted. He made the connection between the melted chocolate and the heat-producing magnetron, and tested his theory on a bag of unpopped corn kernels, which then popped. Next, he placed an egg in front of the magnetron. The egg exploded.

Dr Spencer is therefore credited with discovering one of the critical components of the microwave oven. Development of the microwave oven grew out of his observations, and by 1947 a commercial oven was being sold by Raytheon.

Australian Explorers

Monday, July 9, 1827. :   Australian explorer Allan Cunningham discovers the Gwydir River in northern NSW, opening up the area for grazing and pastureland.

Australian explorer Allan Cunningham was born on 13 July 1791 in Wimbledon, England. He came to Australia in December 1816, suffering from tuberculosis. An avid botanist who worked to classify many of Australia’s unique plant species, he had been selected by Sir Joseph Banks to be an overseas collector of specimens in his position as ‘Botanist to the Royal Botanic Gardens Kew’. Australia’s climate helped Cunningham regain some of his health, and he was anxious to discover more of the country he came to love. He explored much of northern NSW and southern Queensland (which, at that stage, was still part of the NSW colony) and discovered pastureland and rivers which helped open up the area for farming.

On 9 July 1827, Cunningham discovered the Gwydir River, around which the town of Moree is now built. He named it after Lord Gwydir after his patron Lord Gwydir, who took his title from Gwydir Castle in Wales. It is interesting to note that Gwydir is also an Aboriginal name meaning ‘river with red banks’.

Cunningham returned to England in 1831, but came back to New South Wales in 1837 as Government Botanist, a position he resigned after a year.

Australian History

Thursday, July 9, 1857. :   The Municipality of the Town of Gawler, South Australia, is proclaimed.

South Australia is the only Australian state to have been founded by free settlers, remaining entirely free of convicts during its early history. The site of its capital, Adelaide, was originally determined by Captain Collet Barker in 1831 and subsequently surveyed by Colonel William Light five years later.

Gawler is a Local Government Area (LGA) located 44km north of Adelaide. The year after Colonel Light surveyed the capital, he and his assistant, Boyle Travers Finniss, travelled through the area north of Adelaide. Light saw the benefits of establishing a town which would be the gateway to the north, and to the Murray River, the water and transport lifeline for South Australia. Light’s recommendation for a survey of the area was initially not taken up, but Henry Dundas Murray, John Reid and a syndicate of ten other colonists noted Light’s recommendation and applied for a Special Survey of 4000 acres (1618 hectares). Following this, Light was commissioned to survey the town. William Jacob then laid out the town from Light’s plan and the town was officially established on 31 January 1839. It was named Gawler after Lieutenant-Colonel George Gawler, second Governor of South Australia.

The first settler in Gawler was John Reid, who arrived in February 1839 to take up his selection near the North Para River. Reid’s property became a stopover for new pioneers to the area and overlanders from New South Wales. Gawler developed slowly until the discovery of copper at nearby Kapunda in 1842 sent its growth soaring. When the copper mines were established at Burra in the north, Gawler’s importance as a trade and stopping centre increased. The establishment of agricultural areas to the north cemented Gawler’s position as a permanent settlement.

With the introduction of Local Government to the region in 1853 and 1854, the districts of Munno Para East, Mudla Wirra, Barossa West (which included Gawler) and Munno Para West were formed. Residents of Gawler, however, were unhappy with the services provided by Barossa West, and lobbied for separation. The Municipality of the Town of Gawler was proclaimed on 9 July 1857.

Australian History

Monday, July 9, 1900. :   Queen Victoria approves the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Bill.

Prior to 1901, Australia was made up of six colonies which had partial self-government, but which were also under British authority. Although the continent had officially been known as Australia since 1824, there was no nation or government of Australia. The Federation movement gained momentum during the 1880s, but before Federation could occur, it was necessary to draft an Australian Constitution – a process which took almost a decade.

Seven delegates were selected from each of the colonies to formulate a draft constitution, along with three delegates from New Zealand. The first constitutional convention, known as the National Australasian Convention, was held from March to April 1891, and at this convention it was agreed to adopt the name ‘Commonwealth of Australia’. Further conferences were held in 1893, 1895 and 1896. The final National Convention was held in three sessions over 1897-98, and by early 1898, a draft constitution had been agreed upon. It was brought before each of the colonial parliaments for approval. The constitutional system protected the rights of the states, while establishing a national government to represent their common interests.

Initially rejected by the states, amendments were made at a ‘Secret Premiers’ Conference early in 1899. The final draft was then approved by the Australian people via referenda held in each colony. It was necessary for the British Parliament to also agree to the constitution, so further alterations were negotiated before the British Parliament passed the bill in July 1900. On 9 July 1900 Queen Victoria signed the Royal Commission of Assent and the bill became the Commonwealth of Australia Constitution Act 1900.

Interestingly, Western Australia only agreed to the bill several weeks after it was given Royal Assent. Section 9 of the Australian Constitution Act stated that on and after 1 January 1901, the colonies of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Queensland and Tasmania would be united and known as the Commonwealth of Australia, but the Act made provision for Western Australia to still join the Commonwealth. On 1 January 1901, federation of the six colonies was achieved and the Commonwealth of Australia was proclaimed.

World History

Friday, July 9, 1982. :   A man breaks into Buckingham Palace and spends about ten minutes in informal conversation with the Queen.

On 9 July 1982, Michael Fagan, a 31 year old unemployed father of four, scaled the walls and drainpipes of Buckingham Palace, then broke into the Queen’s apartments at about 7:15 BST. He managed to evade guards and electronic alarms before surprising the Queen in her bedroom. He sat on the end of the Queen’s bed and engaged in informal conversation with her for about ten minutes before police arrived. During this time, the Queen calmly informed a footman of the intruder when Fagan asked for a cigarette.

Since it was then a civil rather than criminal offence, Fagan was not charged for trespassing in the Queen’s bedroom. He was charged with theft after stealing half a bottle of wine when he had previously broken into Buckingham Palace on 7 June. The charges were dropped when he was committed for psychiatric evaluation. The attack highlighted concerns about the Queen’s personal security.

World History

Thursday, July 9, 2009. :   The successful removal and relocation of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, USA, is completed.

The Cape Hatteras lighthouse is a famous lighthouse on Hatteras Island, North Carolina, USA. It is the tallest lighthouse in use in the US. Completed in 1803, the original structure was eventually demolished following the construction of a new and improved lighthouse between 1868 and 1870. The new lighthouse became the tallest lighthouse tower in the US, with the light projecting from 191 feet, or 58 m, above the water. The tower stands 63 metres tall from the base of the foundation to the tip of the roof, and the structure contains 268 steps.

By 1935, erosion had so threatened the tower that the water was reaching its base. After attempts to hold back the erosion process through dikes and breakwaters proved futile, the tower was abandoned, and a functional light placed on a steel tower further inland from the shore. After a few years, wooden revetments, a more effective method for erosion control, helped reclaim some of the shoreline, and the lighthouse was declared safe for use and recommissioned on 23 January 1950.

Further erosion of the shoreline necessitated the relocation of the entire tower in 1999. The granite underlying the foundation of the lighthouse was mined out and replaced with steel supports. Using hydraulic jacks, these steel supports then moved the entire tower along a system of track beams. The actual removal operation began on 17 June 1999 and was completed on 9 July 1999. On this date, the tower was then lowered onto a new concrete pad 2900 feet (883m) away, and its temporary steel foundation replaced with brick. The lighthouse survived the move and a ceremonial relighting was held on 13 November that year.