1468 1537 1954

German craftsman, inventor and printer Johannes Gutenberg dies. “Silken” Thomas Fitzgerald, 24, 10th earl of Kildare, is hanged in London with five uncles after leading a Catholic rebellion against Henry VIII.

1788

Church of England Minister Richard Johnson conducts the first onshore service in the colony of N S W .

1 8 7 0

The 15th Amendment to the US Constitution is ratified, guaranteeing the right to vote regardless of race.

1881

The railway from Sydney reaches Albury. NSW premier Henry Parkes attends a banquet to celebrate. The town’s station is a few kilometres from the Victorian terminus across the Murray River at Wodonga, keeping the two rail networks separate.

1915

Turkish forces trying to capture the Suez Canal are defeated, largely by Indian troops. Australian 7th and 8th Infantry Battalions temporarily man the trenches after the fight.

1931

An earthquake in the Napier district of New Zealand kills 256 people as buildings topple.

1942

Australian forces on Ambon Island in the Dutch East Indies surrender to the Japanese. Of the almost 800 prisoners, most do not survive World War II.

1954

Queen Elizabeth II, the first reigning British monarch to visit Australia, arrives with Prince Philip to a rousing welcome in Sydney (above).

1959

Singer Buddy Holly, 22, dies in a plane crash with J.P. (Big Bopper) Richardson and Richie Valens.

1966

The space race between the US and USSR moves into full swing when the unmanned Soviet spaceship Luna 9 lands gently on the moon.

2008

Australian golfer Karrie Webb, 33, wins the Women’s Australian Open.