TODAY IN HISTORY

3114

BC The Mesoamerican Long Count calendar, used by several civilisations, notably the Mayans, starts. It counts the days in groups of 20

1784

The British government introduces a Bill to the House of Commons allowing it to resume transportation of criminals, with destination unstated after the revolt of the American colonies but NSW in mind.

1804

Governor Philip King grants officer’s wife Hannah Laycock 200ha which she names King’s Grove Farm. It is now the Sydney suburb of Kingsgrove

1824

London upgrades NSW from penal colony to crown colony — a milestone on the road to democracy and nationhood

1909

Australia batsman Warren Bardsley becomes the first player to score a century in each innings of a Test with 130 in the 2nd innings in a drawn 5th Test against England at The Oval

1934

The prison at Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay, US, begins taking civilian felons. It was a jail until 1963 and is now a tourist attraction

1942

Former actor Hedy Lamarr and composer George Antheil are granted a US patent for a radio technology called “frequency hopping” which prevents signals to guide torpedos from being jammed

2003

NATO takes command of the peacekeeping force in Afghanistan, marking its first major operation outside Europe in its 54-year history

2017

Violence erupts at a “Unite the Right” rally, between white supremacists and anti-racists in Charlottesville, Virginia in the US.

2018

Nobel prize winning writer Vidiadhar Surajprasad “V.S.” Naipaul dies at the age of 85