ON THIS DAY
1066The
Normans under William the Conqueror defeat English King Harold II and his forces at the Battle of Hastings. Harold is killed in a trap.
1322Robert
the Bruce of Scotland defeats King Edward II of England at Byland, north of York. Edward is forced to accept Scotland’s independence.
1824Trial
by jury of 12 free men is instituted in Sydney by chief justice Francis Forbes. On the same day, the Australian, the first independent newspaper in Australia, begins publication.
1829Governor
Ralph Darling proclaims the 19 Counties of NSW, redefining the Limits of Location, beyond which settlement is prohibited.
1870Statesman
Henry Parkes resigns from the NSW parliament because of insolvency. He gives up his seat of Kiama.
1912Theodore
Roosevelt, campaigning for the US presidency, is shot in the chest in Milwaukee. He is saved by his thick coat and a bundle of paper in his breast pocket.
1979ACTU
president Bob Hawke wins preselection for the safe federal seat of Wills.
1988The
Sydney Harbour Bridge is paid for in full, 56 years after it is opened, as NSW premier Nick Greiner hands a $8.3m cheque to an officer of the federal finance department.
2008The
Australian federal government announces a $10.4bn stimulus package to prevent the economy sliding into recession.
2018Afghan
batsman Hazratullah Zazai becomes only the sixth player in cricket history to hit six sixes in an over in a T20 game of the Afghanistan Premier League.