Australian History

Monday, July 15, 1912. :   The first branch of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia opens.

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia, or CBA, is a leading Australian multinational bank and the largest bank in the southern hemisphere. As of August 2015 it is the largest Australian listed company on the Australian Securities Exchange, with brands including Bankwest, Colonial First State Investments, ASB Bank (New Zealand), Commonwealth Securities (CommSec) and Commonwealth Insurance (CommInsure).

The Commonwealth Bank of Australia was established following legislation introduced by Andrew Fisher’s Labor Government on 22 December 1911. The ‘Commonwealth Bank Act 1911’ allowed for the founding of a bank which would provide a safe investment for savings as it had a federal government guarantee, backed by the national credit. The bank would offer both savings and general bank business, unusual for the time. It would also help in the reduction of the public indebtedness as it could offer reduced charges on overdrafts, bills of exchange and current accounts compared to what the private banks proposed.

The first branch of the Commonwealth Bank of Australia was opened at 317 Collins Street, Melbourne on 15 July 1912. Mr (later Sir) Denison Miller was Governor, and there were 12 staff. The Prime Minister, Andrew Fisher, was the bank’s first account holder and depositor. The first Sydney branch was opened in January 1913 and, later that year, the Commonwealth Bank took over the State Bank of Tasmania. By the end of 1913, all six states had branches of the Commonwealth Bank. In 1916, its head office was moved to Sydney.

Australian History

Saturday, July 15, 1922. :   A platypus is displayed for the first time in the United States.

The platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) is a semi-aquatic mammal unique to the Australian continent. It is one of only two monotreme species, that is, egg-laying mammals, in the world. The other monotreme is the echidna, also found in Australia. Upon first being discovered in Australia, scientists were baffled by the unusual creature, and when a pelt was sent back to Britain for scientific examination, it was believed to be a hoax created by sewing a duck’s bill onto the skin of a beaver-like animal. The creature laid eggs like a bird, had webbed feet like a frog, a bill like a duck and venom like a snake. Thus, the platypus remained an object of scientific curiosity for many years.

Harry Burrell was a naturalist and wildlife photographer who devoted much of his life to the study of the platypus. He designed an artificial habitat which came to be known as a platypussary, which enabled the transportation of five platypuses to a New York Zoo in 1922. The platypuses were placed on display for the first time in the USA on 15 July 1922.

Australian History

Wednesday, July 15, 1964. :   Rupert Murdoch unveils ‘The Australian’ newspaper in Sydney.

In the early days of the New South Wales colony, a newspaper called “The Australian” was established. Co-published by explorer William Wentworth, who was one of three explorers to make the first crossing of the Blue Mountains in 1813, it was only a colonial newspaper, and not national.

Rupert Murdoch’s ‘The Australian’ newspaper, published by News Corp Australia, became Australia’s third national daily newspaper, after the shipping newspaper Daily Commercial News, first published in 1891, and Australian Financial Review, which launched in 1951. The front page of ‘The Australian’, published on 15 July 1964, contained a promise to deliver “the impartial information and the independent thinking that are essential to the further advance of our country.” The first editor was Maxwell Newton, who lasted less than a year and was succeeded by Walter Kommer. Initially, the headquarters for ‘The Australian’ were in the nation’s capital, Canberra, but today its head office is in Sydney.

World History

Saturday, July 15, 1099. :   Christian soldiers enter Jerusalem after a siege during the First Crusade, and murder almost every inhabitant of the city.

The First Crusade was launched in 1095 by Pope Urban II to regain control of the city of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from Muslims, and to help the Byzantine Empire fight the Seljuk Turks. (The term “Crusader” was not used until the twelfth century.) It was a long and difficult siege before Christians entered the city and took the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.

The Christians themselves suffered many casualties, due to the lack of food and water around Jerusalem. Morale improved when a priest, Peter Desiderius, claimed to have had divine vision instructing them to fast and then march in a barefoot procession around the city walls, after which the city would fall in nine days. This was reminiscent of the Biblical example of Joshua at the siege of Jericho. On 8 July 1099, the Christian army performed the procession. Meanwhile, siege engines were constructed and seven days later, on 15 July 1099, the army broke down sections of the walls and entered the city. Over the next day, the army massacred almost everyone in the city – Muslims, Jews, and even eastern Christians.

World History

Saturday, July 15, 1662. :   The Royal Society of London is formally created.

The Royal Society is also known as the Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge. A voluntary organisation devoted to the advancement of Science, fellowship to the society is by peer election, and is considered a great honour.

The founding meeting for the Royal Society was held on 28 November 1660, at Gresham College in Bishopsgate. It followed a lecture by Sir Christopher Wren, who was Gresham’s Professor of Astronomy. Those present included theologian, natural philosopher, chemist, physicist and inventor Robert Boyle, and English clergyman and author John Wilkins. All subsequent meetings, and the concept and design of the society, received endorsement from the restored monarchy of King Charles II.

The Royal Society of London was formally created after the passing of the Great Seal on 15 July 1662. Lord Brouncker was the first President, while Robert Hooke was appointed as Curator of Experiments in November 1662. A second Royal Charter was sealed on 23 April 1663, naming the King as Founder and changing the name to “The Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge”. Her Majesty the Queen is the current patron, and, since the foundation of the Royal Society, the reigning monarch has always been the patron.

World History

Thursday, July 15, 1869. :   Margarine is patented in Paris.

In the 1860s Emperor Louis Napoleon III of France offered a prize to the maker of a suitable substitute for butter, for use by the military and the lower classes. The contest was won by French chemist Hippolyte Mège Mouriés. The primary component of the product was tallow, but the formula included a fatty component that, when mixed, had a pearly lustre. Thus, the product was named after the Greek word for pearl – margaritari. The product was patented on 15 July 1869.