Australian History
Thursday, May 3, 1804. : The war between white settlers and Tasmanian Aborigines begins with the “Battle of Risdon”.
For many years, Van Diemen’s Land (now Tasmania) was thought to be part of the mainland of Australia. In January 1799 Bass and Flinders completed their circumnavigation of Tasmania, proving it to be an island. As an island, Tasmania enjoyed the uniqueness of its own fauna and flora, and its own indigenous peoples, but all of these were severely disrupted by the arrival of Europeans.
Van Diemen’s Land was settled as a separate colony in 1803. 3 May 1804 marks the first of the major hostilities between European settlers and Aborigines which ultimately led to the decimation of pure-blooded Tasmanian Aborigines. What became known as The Battle of Risdon began when a large group of about 300 aboriginal men on a kangaroo hunt inadvertently wandered into the British settlement. Thinking they were being attacked, the soldiers fired upon the party, killing three of the hunters.
Debate has continued over the number of hunters actually killed. While early accounts said that two or three were killed, later the figure was expanded to fifty, and then upwards to 100.
World History
Sunday, May 3, 1654. : The first toll bridge in America opens: humans cross free but animals have to pay.
The first toll bridge in America was opened on 3 May 1654 at Newbury River in Massachusetts by licensee Richard Thorley. Called “Thorlay’s Bridge”, it was built over the Parker River and opened the road for travel from Boston, Ipswich and Salem. Humans were free to cross the bridge, but there was a charge for animals. The bridge has undergone subtle name changes over the years, and is now known as Thurlow’s Bridge.
World History
Saturday, May 3, 1851. : California’s first known gang, the Sydney Ducks, are blamed for post-earthquake fires and looting in San Francisco.
During the convict era, between 1788 and the end of transportation in 1868, over 174,000 men, woman and children were sent to Australia. Once pardoned or given a ticket-of-leave, many ex-convicts chose to remain in Australia. However, prospects were sometimes grim for those who chose to stay, some finding it impossible to earn a respectable living with the stigma of their convict past hanging over them. Nor could they return to their families in England, for the same reasons. Thus, when the goldrush began in California in 1848, many ex-convicts made their way to San Francisco.
With the population explosion in southern California, crime became rampant, particularly as many immigrants failed to find their fortune in gold and resorted to crime in order to survive. Criminals began to congregate in San Francisco, east of modern day Chinatown, forming gangs. Among the most notorious were those dominated by Australians, ticket of leave and escaped convicts. By 1849, so many were gathering on the Barbary Coast that it was commonly called ‘Sydney Town’, populated by gangs such as the ‘Sydney Ducks’ and ‘Sydney Coves’. The Sydney Ducks were California’s first known gang.
On 3 May 1851, the Sydney Ducks were blamed for a fire which broke out following a severe earthquake on May 1. Looting was rife, and blame centred on the Australians when a man recognised as a Sydney-Towner was seen running from a paint shop shortly before it exploded in flames. The area remained notorious for its vicious crimes until Sydney Duck member John Jenkins was lynched by vigilantes on 10 June 1851. Following his hanging, the population of Sydney Town dropped significantly as many Australians fled the area.
World History
Saturday, May 3, 1947. : The new post-war Japanese Constitution comes into effect.
The first modern constitution of Japan was the Constitution of the Empire of Japan of 1889, known as the Imperial or Meiji Constitution. It provided for a form of constitutional monarchy based on the Prussian model, in which the Emperor of Japan was an active ruler and wielded considerable political power, but shared this with an elected diet. However, it did not allow for freedom of speech, thought or religion.
Following the Japanese surrender to the Allies in 1945, Allied leaders Winston Churchill, Harry S Truman, and Joseph Stalin issued the Potsdam Declaration, which defined the major goals of the post-surrender Allied occupation. Allied forces would not withdraw until Japan agreed to enact a modern, progressive constitution, and the Allies could see evidence of that constitution in place. The constitution, which went into effect on 3 May 1947, granted universal suffrage, stripped Emperor Hirohito of all but symbolic power, stipulated a bill of rights, abolished peerage, and outlawed Japan’s right to make war. The constitution and the reforms contained therein were largely overseen by US General Douglas MacArthur, who remained in the American Embassy in Japan for five and a half years, thus ensuring Japan remained firmly in the American sphere of influence.
Internet
Wednesday, May 3, 1978. : The first ever spam email is sent.
Since the advent of the personal computer revolution of the 1970s and 1980s, email and the Internet have revolutionised modern life. With the good has come the bad, and this includes unwanted spam.
The first known email spam message was sent out by Gary Thuerk, a marketer for the Digital Equipment Corporation. On 3 May 1978, Thuerk sent out a marketing email on the DECSYSTEM-20 family of computers to 400 of the 2600 people on ARPAnet. Although the governing authorities responded quickly, denouncing such unwarranted marketing, the interest shown by a few of the recipients was sufficient for the concept to be attempted again – and thus was born spam.
New Zealand History
Sunday, May 3, 1840. : New Zealand is officially declared a British Colony.
The Treaty of Waitangi effectively signalled the founding of New Zealand by white settlers, and made New Zealand a British colony. The Treaty was signed on 6 February 1840 by over 500 Māori chiefs of New Zealand and the British Governor William Hobson, representing the British Government. It was intended to protect Māori land interests in exchange for recognition of British sovereignty. The Māori agreed to hand over ownership of their land to Queen Victoria, and in return were to retain the right to occupy their land as long as they wished, and to be protected in so doing.
With the signing of the Treaty, Governor Hobson declared British sovereignty over New Zealand, and the colony of New Zealand was formally proclaimed on 3 May 1840. This resulted in a great increase in the number of British migrants coming to New Zealand. However, since that date, major issues concerning the original translation of the treaty from English to Māori have resulted in the terms of the Treaty being in dispute. The Treaty subsequently remains the topic of much controversy and political debate.