Australian History
Saturday, May 2, 1829. : The city of Fremantle, Western Australia, is founded as Captain Fremantle hoists the Union Jack.
The city of Fremantle lies just south of Perth, at the mouth of the Swan River. Dutch captain Willem de Vlamingh named the Swan River in 1697 because of the black swans he saw in abundance there. As the first city in Western Australia, Fremantle is steeped in rich and fascinating history. In 1829, Captain Charles Fremantle was sent to take formal possession of the remainder of New Holland which had not already been claimed for Britain under the territory of New South Wales. On 2 May 1829, Captain Fremantle raised the Union Jack on the south head of the Swan River, thus claiming the territory for Britain. The colony of Western Australia was proclaimed on 8 June 1829, and two months later, Perth was also founded.
World History
Monday, May 2, 1611. : The first copy of the King James Bible is printed.
The King James Bible is an English translation of the Christian Bible authorised by the Church of England. Although it is one of the oldest existing translations of the Bible still in popular use, it was not the first such English translation. The first was the ‘Great Bible’, commissioned by the Church of England during King Henry VIII’s reign. The problem with this version was that much of the Old Testament was translated from the Latin Vulgate, rather than from the original Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts. It was followed by a second attempt, the Bishop’s Bible of 1568, the translation for which was led by Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury. Again, there were inconsistencies in the translation. This text was revised in 1572, and the revised text formed the foundation for the Authorised King James version of the following century.
The project to complete an English translation was begun in 1604, largely in response to the concerns of the Puritans, a faction within the Church of England, regarding the earlier translations. In January of that year, King James I of England convened the Hampton Court Conference to address the need to develop a common English Bible which was consistent in its translation, and which reflected the beliefs of the Church of England. 47 scholars were involved in the translation of texts.
The Bible was completed by 1611, and first published on 2 May 1611 by printer Robert Barker. The original title was “THE HOLY BIBLE, Containing the Old Testament, AND THE NEW: Newly Translated out of the Original tongues: & with the former Translations diligently compared and revised, by his Majesties special Commandment”. In 1651, English philosopher Thomas Hobbs referred to the version as “the English Translation made in the beginning of the Reign of King James”. By around 1814, it had begun to be popularly known as the “King James’ Version” or the “King James’s Version”, and by 1855, it was known without the possessive apostrophe, as “King James Version”.
World History
Tuesday, May 2, 1933. : The Loch Ness Monster is formally introduced to the world.
Loch Ness, or Loch Nis in Gaelic, is a large, deep freshwater lake in the Scottish Highlands, which extends for about 37 km southwest of Inverness. It is the second largest loch (lake) in Scotland, with a surface area of 56.4 km2, but is the largest in volume. It is 226 m deep at its deepest point.
For centuries, witnesses have reported sighting a large monster with a long neck in Loch Ness, Scotland. However, the Loch Ness Monster really only came to prominence in the modern world when a newspaper report about it was published on 2 May 1933. On this date, Scottish newspaper, the “Inverness Courier”, ran an article called “A Strange Spectacle on Loch Ness” that described how a Mr and Mrs John Mackay had encountered an enormous whale-like creature in the loch near Aldourie Castle, “rolling and plunging on the surface”. London papers picked up the story, sending reporters to Scotland, and the legend was born.
World History
Saturday, May 2, 1942. : The Japanese launch an invasion force from Rabaul, intending to capture Port Moresby, and precipitating the Battle of the Coral Sea.
During World War II, in late 1941 the Japanese began their conquest of the Pacific region, hoping to take control from the Indian/Burmese border, south through Malaya, across the islands of Indonesia to New Guinea, northwest to the Gilbert Islands and north to the Kuril Islands off the Japanese coast. This would leave Australia wide open for invasion, although that was not the intention of Japan at the time. Singapore and the Malay Peninsula, which had been defended by British Empire Forces, fell in a 70-day campaign that began in December 1941.
Late in January 1942, Japanese forces landed in Rabaul, quickly taking control, dragging Papua New Guinea into the war, and bringing the threat of Japanese invasion of Australia even closer. The first of over 100 Japanese bombings of the Australian mainland began in February, and on 8 March, the Japanese invaded the New Guinean mainland, capturing Lae and Salamaua.
Knowing that Britain was engaged in fighting Germany in the northern hemisphere, Australian Prime Minister John Curtin sought help from the United States to defend the Pacific. Knowing this, Japan sought to cut Australia off from American support by capturing the Pacific islands of Fiji, the New Hebrides, Samoa and the Solomons, and completing their conquest of Papua New Guinea.
On 2 May 1942, the Japanese launched an invasion fleet to Port Moresby from Rabaul. The Japanese sought to cut off Australia from US support by taking control of the main port on the southern coast of Papua New Guinea. Thus began the Battle of the Coral Sea. Although a bitter campaign, it was a successful one. Repelled by the American forces, the Japanese then sought to invade Port Moresby from the northern coast, over the rugged Owen Stanley Range via the Kokoda Trail, which linked to the southern coast of Papua New Guinea. With much assistance from the Papua New Guinean natives, dubbed “Fuzzy Wuzzy Angels”, the Australian and the US troops turned back the Japanese forces, which then retreated to bases at Buna, Gona and Sanananda. Here, the Japanese were eventually defeated in a hard-fought campaign which lasted through December 1942 to 23 January 1943 – one year after the Japanese first landed at Rabaul.
World History
Friday, May 2, 1969. : British ocean liner, the Queen Elizabeth 2, departs on her maiden voyage.
The Queen Elizabeth 2, or “the QE2”, was the flagship of the Cunard Line from 1969 until she was succeeded by RMS Queen Mary 2 in 2004. Considered the last of the great transatlantic ocean liners prior to the RMS Queen Mary 2, she travelled throughout the world, but now operates as a cruise liner sailing out of Southampton, England. The QE2 is 294 m long, with a top speed of 32.5 knots, or 60 km/h, and is one of the largest and fastest passenger vessels afloat. The ship is smaller than her predecessor RMS Queen Elizabeth and her successor Queen Mary 2, in order to allow her to pass through the Panama Canal. The QE2 can carry approximately 1,700 passengers and 1,015 crew members.
Launched during the reign of Queen Elizabeth II, the “2” in the ship’s name is to distinguish her from the reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth II. As Roman numerals are always used for Monarchs, an Arabic number was thus used for the ship. The QE2 departed on her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City on 2 May 1969.
World History
Friday, May 2, 2008. : The longest bridge in the world, the 36 km Hangzhou Bay Bridge, opens.
The longest bridge in the world is currently the 36km-long Hangzhou Bay Bridge across the East China Sea. The record-breaking bridge, which opened on 2 May 2008, is an S-shaped stayed-cable bridge with six lanes in both directions. The bridge includes a service centre and large roundabout in the middle of it with a visitors’ centre for day trippers. Flashing lights of different colours are placed at regular intervals, to keep drivers alert.
The bridge serves a strong economic function. It has shortened the journey time from the port of Ningbo to the economic centre of Shanghai by 120 kilometres, which equates to several hours of travel, stimulating further regional growth. It is also the final link in the motorway which connects Beijing and the north to the booming eastern and southern seaboard, including wealthy Hong Kong and Shenzen.
Construction of the Hangzhou Bay Bridge began on 8 June 2003, and finished on 26 June 2007. The longest sea-crossing bridge in the world, it cost 11.8 billion yuan, or US$1.70 billion, but is expected to last 100 years.