Australian Explorers
Tuesday, September 1, 1846. : A camel shoots explorer John Horrocks.
John Ainsworth Horrocks, born in Lancashire in 1818, was the first to employ camels as an aid to exploration. Nine camels were imported from the Canary Islands in 1840, but by 1846, only one still survived. This one, a bad-tempered beast by the name of Harry, accompanied Horrocks on an expedition north-west of Horrocks’ station at Penwortham near Clare, SA. On 1 September 1846, Horrocks stopped near Lake Dutton to shoot a bird to add to his collection of specimens. In the letter Horrocks wrote whilst he awaited help, he recorded the following events:
“My gun being loaded with slugs in one barrel and ball in the other, I stopped the camel to get at the shot belt, which I could not get without his lying down.
“Whilst Mr. Gill was unfastening it, I was screwing the ramrod into the wad over the slugs, standing close alongside of the camel. At this moment the camel gave a lurch to one side, and caught his pack in the cock of my gun, which discharged the barrel I was unloading, the contents of which first took off the middle fingers of my right hand between the second and third joints, and entered my left cheek by my lower jaw, knocking out a row of teeth from my upper jaw.”
One of Horrocks’ men walked 113 km through the night to obtain help, and Horrocks was then conveyed home. A doctor was unable to do anything for his injuries, which had become infected, and Horrocks died three weeks later, on September 23. Harry the camel was taken out and shot.
Australian History
Thursday, September 1, 1988. : The Golden Wattle is officially proclaimed as the floral emblem of Australia.
Prior to the federation of Australia’s states, interest in the concept of a national symbol began to increase. The Golden Wattle gained favour with Australians after 1908, when noted ornithologist Archibald James Campbell proposed that the wattle become the national flower. Campbell was also instrumental in advocating a National Wattle Day, an idea that was taken up by several states in subsequent years.
The wattle is by no means limited to Australia, and grows prolifically on several other continents. In 1911, the South Australian “Evening Post” reported that South Africa intended to use the wattle in its official emblems, and suggested the alternative Waratah be used as the national flower as its strength, beauty and colour represented health, firmness, endurance and independence. The wattle was incorporated into the Australian coat of arms in 1912. However, both the waratah and the wattle were used to decorate the golden trowels used by Governor General Lord Denman, Prime Minister Andrew Fisher and the Minister for Home Affairs, King O’Malley, for the laying of the foundation stones for Canberra in March 1913.
The Golden wattle continued to gain prominence as the national symbol through the years, but was not officially proclaimed Australia’s national floral emblem. This only occurred on 1 September 1988, at a ceremony held at the Australian National Botanic Gardens, to mark Australia’s bicentenary. The Minister for Home Affairs, Robert Ray, formally announced the adoption of the Golden wattle as Australia’s national flower, and Mrs Hazel Hawke, wife of Prime Minister Robert Hawke, planted a Golden Wattle. Four years later, 1 September was formally declared ‘National Wattle Day’.
Australian History
Tuesday, September 1, 1992. : Today is Australia’s “National Wattle Day”.
Wattle trees are of the genus Acacia, in the Mimosa family, and common throughout Australia, where there are over 600 different species. Varying in size, they may grow as low shrubs, or tall trees. Remarkably adaptable, they grow from rainforest areas to coastal heaths and remote, parched desert country. Wattle seeds grow in pods which need heat to release them and to stimulate germination. The shape of the pods varies from coiled to looped and twisted. The seeds have a very hard outer covering.
The golden wattle (Acacia pycnantha) was officially gazetted as Australia’s national floral emblem in 1988. Found only in the southern states, this species also features on the Australian coat of arms. Wattle Day is a relatively new and, in many areas unknown, celebration. Although first proposed by ornithologist Archibald Campbell in 1908, the concept was not taken up until after Australia’s bicentenary. In 1992, 1 September every year was declared ‘National Wattle Day’ throughout Australia. The purpose of National Wattle Day is to essentially promote all things Australian.
There remains some controversy over whether Wattle Day should be on 1 September or earlier, on 1 August. In 1916, New South Wales changed its day of celebration to 1 August as the popular Cootamundra wattle flowered earlier, and the Red Cross wished to use it to aid their fund raising for the war effort. Since then, some Australians have suggested the earlier date would be preferable, as more popular wattle varieties flower in July-August. As it stands, however, National Wattle Day remains gazetted for 1 September.
World History
Saturday, September 1, 1951. : The ANZUS Treaty between Australia, New Zealand and the United States is signed.
ANZUS stands for the “Australia, New Zealand, United States Security Treaty”. The treaty signalled a military alliance between the three nations, with Australia and the United States indicating their cooperation on defence matters in the Pacific region. It was signed on 1 September 1951, and went into effect on 29 April 1952.
The Treaty developed because of the cooperation between Australia, New Zealand and the US in the Pacific arena during World War II. By 1951, the US wished to allow for Japan’s rearmament as a result of the Korean War breaking out, including a provision that Japan grant the United States the territorial means for it to establish a military presence in the Far East. However, Australia remained wary of the country which had threatened Pacific security during the war. Australia and New Zealand only agreed to Japan’s rearmament when Australia and New Zealand’s proposal for a three-way security treaty was accepted by the United States. The treaty specifically stated the intention of the three signatories to work to strengthen and maintain peace in the Pacific Area, including Japan. Most recently, the treaty was invoked in Australia following the terrorist attacks in the United States in 2001.
Due to tension between New Zealand and the US over nuclear-armed or nuclear-powered ships of the US Navy visiting New Zealand ports in 1984, New Zealand no longer participates to any extent in ANZUS. However, the treaty is still current between New Zealand and Australia, and the US and Australia.
World History
Thursday, September 1, 1859. : The first recorded solar flare is observed.
Solar flares are violent explosion in the Sun’s atmosphere with energy equivalent to millions of 100-megaton hydrogen bombs. They occur when magnetic energy that has built up in the solar atmosphere is suddenly released.
The first solar flare recorded in astronomical history occurred on 1 September 1859. It was observed by Richard C. Carrington and Richard Hodgson, who were independently observing sunspots at the time. They each noticed an intensely bright, white light which lasted for about 5 minutes. The scientists also noticed a magnetic disturbance recorded at the same time as the white flare. This was also the first time a solar flare was noted to have directly influenced the environment around the Earth.
World History
Thursday, September 1, 2005. : Today is Random Acts of Kindness Day in New Zealand.
Random Acts of Kindness Day celebrates simple acts of kindness to bring a little light into others’ lives, whether through paying for another person’s coffee at a takeaway, bringing a tray of home-made goodies to work, or just complimenting another person on how they’re dressed that day.
Random Acts of Kindness Day is said to have originated with an idea penned by Californian writer Anne Herbert in 1985. Her article, entitled “Random Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty”, advocated that every person is capable of generating more goodness and beauty around themselves simply by performing small random acts of kind service for others. In 1993, the publication of a book entitled “Random Acts of Kindness”, a compilation of true stories of acts of kindness, set off a campaign of bumper stickers, followed by more stories and articles advocating the cause. The creation of Random Acts of Kindness Day is said to have occurred in Denver, Colorado in 1995.
Although recognised across the globe on 17 February each year with websites, teaching resources and campaigns in many countries, New Zealand is the only country where Random Acts of Kindness Day has become more than just a date on the calendar. As of 1 September 2005, New Zealand organisations, businesses, churches, schools and individuals have embraced a national Random Acts of Kindness Day, with events organised across the nation.
World History
Sunday, September 1, 1985. : American undersea explorer, Dr Robert Ballard, locates the wreck of the Titanic.
At the time of its launch, the RMS Titanic, also known as the SS Titanic, was the largest passenger steamship in the world. On its maiden voyage, the “unsinkable” Titanic struck an iceberg at 11:40pm, ship’s time, on Sunday evening, 14 April 1912, with a loss of 1,517 lives. For years, divers sought to locate its wreckage, but it was 73 years before success in this venture was achieved by Dr Robert Ballard.
Robert Duane Ballard, born on 30 June 1942, was educated as a marine geologist and geophysicist. He joined the Navy in 1967, working on undersea projects which included undersea mapping. Using sonar, Ballard located the Titanic about 3,600 metres deep in the North Atlantic Ocean on 1 September 1985. A year later he was able to return and view the wreck up close in a submersible vehicle, using a Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) called JASON. Ballard’s skill has also enabled him to find wrecks such as that of the German battleship Bismarck, the USS Yorktown (CV-5), and PT-109, the boat once commanded by John F. Kennedy.