At 11:38 a.m. EST, on January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, and Christa McAuliffe is on her way to becoming the first ordinary U.S. civilian to travel into space. McAuliffe, a 37-year-old high school social studies teacher from New Hampshire, won a competition that earned her a place among the seven-member crew … Continue reading January 28, 1986 – The space shuttle Challenger exploded after liftoff
Tag: History
January 27, 1921 – Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29
Maurice Vincent Buckley, VC, DCM (13 April 1891 – 27 January 1921) was an Australian soldier serving under the pseudonym Gerald Sexton who was awarded the Victoria Cross during the First World War. This is the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Buckley was born at Upper Hawthorn, Melbourne, to Timothy Buckley, brickmaker, and his … Continue reading January 27, 1921 – Maurice Buckley, Australian soldier and winner of the Victoria Cross, dies at 29
January 26, 1808 – Rum Rebellion, the only successful armed takeover of the government in Australia
The Rum Rebellion of 1808 was a coup d'état in the then-British penal colony of New South Wales, staged by the New South Wales Corps in order to depose Governor William Bligh. Australia's first and only military coup, it is named after early Sydney's illicit rum trade, over which the Rum Corps, as it became known, … Continue reading January 26, 1808 – Rum Rebellion, the only successful armed takeover of the government in Australia
January 26, 1926 – John Logie Baird demonstrates TV
On January 26, 1926, John Logie Baird, a Scottish inventor, gives the first public demonstration of a true television system in London, launching a revolution in communication and entertainment. Baird’s invention, a pictorial-transmission machine he called a “televisor,” used mechanical rotating disks to scan moving images into electronic impulses. This information was then transmitted by … Continue reading January 26, 1926 – John Logie Baird demonstrates TV
January 25, 1954 – Birth of Kay Cottee, Australian sailor
Kay Cottee AO (born 25 January 1954) is an Australian sailor, who was the first woman to perform a single-handed, non-stop and unassisted circumnavigation of the world. She performed this feat in 1988 in her 37 feet (11 m) yacht Blackmores First Lady, taking 189 days. Born Kay McLaren—the youngest of four daughters—in Sydney on 25 January 1954, Cottee grew up in … Continue reading January 25, 1954 – Birth of Kay Cottee, Australian sailor
January 25, 1971 – Charles Manson and his followers convicted of murder
In Los Angeles, California, cult leader Charles Manson is convicted, along with followers Susan Atkins, Leslie Van Houten, and Patricia Krenwinkle, of the brutal 1969 murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others. In 1967, Manson, a lifetime criminal, was released from a federal penitentiary in Washington State and traveled to San Francisco, where he attracted a following among rebellious young women … Continue reading January 25, 1971 – Charles Manson and his followers convicted of murder
January 24, 1968 – The 1st Australian Task Force launches Operation Coburg against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong
Operation Coburg (24 January − 1 March 1968) was an Australian and New Zealand military action during the Vietnam War. The operation saw heavy fighting between the 1st Australian Task Force (1 ATF) and North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong forces during the wider fighting around Long Binh and Bien Hoa. American and South Vietnamese intelligence reports had indicated that an imminent communist offensive during the Tet … Continue reading January 24, 1968 – The 1st Australian Task Force launches Operation Coburg against the North Vietnamese Army and Viet Cong
January 24, 1972 – Japanese soldier found hiding on Guam after 28 years
After 28 years of hiding in the jungles of Guam, local farmers discover Shoichi Yokoi, a Japanese sergeant who fought in World War II. Guam, a 200-square-mile island in the western Pacific, became a U.S. possession in 1898 after the Spanish-American War. In 1941, the Japanese attacked and captured it, and in 1944, after three years … Continue reading January 24, 1972 – Japanese soldier found hiding on Guam after 28 years
January 23, 1942 – The Battle of Rabaul commences Japan’s invasion of Australia’s Territory of New Guinea
The Battle of Rabaul, also known by the Japanese as Operation R, was fought on the island of New Britain in the Australian Territory of New Guinea, in January and February 1942. It was a strategically significant defeat of Allied forces by Japan in the Pacific campaign of World War II, with the Japanese invasion force quickly overwhelming the small Australian garrison, the majority of which was … Continue reading January 23, 1942 – The Battle of Rabaul commences Japan’s invasion of Australia’s Territory of New Guinea
January 23, 1849 – Elizabeth Blackwell becomes first woman in US to receive a medical degree
At a graduation ceremony at a church in Geneva, New York on January 23, 1849, Geneva Medical College bestows a medical degree upon Elizabeth Blackwell, the first woman in the United States to receive one. Despite the near-uniform opposition of her fellow students and medical professionals, Blackwell pursued her calling with an iron will and dedicated … Continue reading January 23, 1849 – Elizabeth Blackwell becomes first woman in US to receive a medical degree
January 22, 1943 – Australian and American forces defeat Japanese army and navy units in Battle of Buna–Gona
The Battle of Buna–Gona was part of the New Guinea campaign in the Pacific Theatre during World War II. It followed the conclusion of the Kokoda Track campaign and lasted from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943. The battle was fought by Australian and United States forces agasinst the Japanese beachheads at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. From these, the Japanese had launched an … Continue reading January 22, 1943 – Australian and American forces defeat Japanese army and navy units in Battle of Buna–Gona
January 22, 1901 – Queen Victoria dies
The death of Queen Victoria on January 22, 1901, ends an era in which most of her British subjects know no other monarch. Her 63-year reign saw the growth of an empire on which the sun never set. Victoria restored dignity to the English monarchy and ensured its survival as a ceremonial political institution. Born in 1819, … Continue reading January 22, 1901 – Queen Victoria dies
January 21, 1931 – Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia
Sir Isaac Alfred Isaacs, GCB, GCMG, PC, KC (6 August 1855 – 11 February 1948) was an Australian lawyer, politician, and judge who served as the ninth Governor-General of Australia, in office from 1931 to 1936. He had previously served on the High Court of Australia from 1906 to 1931, including as Chief Justice from 1930. Isaacs was born in Melbourne and grew up in Yackandandah and Beechworth (in country Victoria). He … Continue reading January 21, 1931 – Sir Isaac Isaacs is sworn in as the first Australian-born Governor-General of Australia
January 21, 1968 – Battle of Khe Sanh begins
One of the most publicized and controversial battles of the Vietnam War begins at Khe Sanh, 14 miles below the DMZ and six miles from the Laotian border. Seized and activated by the U.S. Marines a year earlier, the base, which had been an old French outpost, was used as a staging area for forward patrols and was … Continue reading January 21, 1968 – Battle of Khe Sanh begins
January 20, 1990 – Birth of Ray Thompson, Australian rugby league player
Ray Thompson (born 20 January 1990), also known by the nickname of "Ray-Ray", is a former Papua New Guinea international rugby league footballer who played as a five-eighth, halfback and hooker. He was an Indigenous All Stars representative and spent his entire professional career with the North Queensland Cowboys in the National Rugby League (NRL). Born in Cairns, Queensland, Thompson is of Indigenous Australian and Papua New Guinean descent. He played his junior football for Centrals … Continue reading January 20, 1990 – Birth of Ray Thompson, Australian rugby league player
January 20, 1981 – Iran Hostage Crisis ended
Minutes after Ronald Reagan’s inauguration as the 40th president of the United States, the 52 U.S. captives held at the U.S. embassy in Teheran, Iran, were released, ending the 444-day Iran Hostage Crisis. On November 4, 1979, the crisis began when militant Iranian students, outraged that the U.S. government had allowed the ousted shah of Iran to travel … Continue reading January 20, 1981 – Iran Hostage Crisis ended
January 19, 1935 – Birth of Johnny O’Keefe, Australian singer-songwriter
John Michael O'Keefe was an Australian rock and roll singer, born in Bondi Junction on January 19, 1935. His career began in the 1950s. Some of his hits include "Wild One" (1958), "Shout!" and "She's My Baby". In his twenty-year career, O'Keefe released over fifty singles, 50 EPs and 100 albums. O'Keefe was also a radio and television entertainer and … Continue reading January 19, 1935 – Birth of Johnny O’Keefe, Australian singer-songwriter
January 19, 1966 – Indira Gandhi becomes Indian prime minister
Following the death of Indian Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi becomes head of the Congress Party and thus prime minister of India. She was India’s first female head of government and by the time of her assassination in 1984 was one of its most controversial. Gandhi was the daughter of Jawaharlal Nehru, the first prime minister … Continue reading January 19, 1966 – Indira Gandhi becomes Indian prime minister
January 18, 1977 – Australia’s worst rail disaster occurs at Granville, Sydney, killing 83
The Granville rail/train disaster occurred on Tuesday 18 January 1977 at Granville, New South Wales, a western suburb of Sydney, when a crowded commuter train derailed, running into the supports of a road bridge that collapsed onto two of the train's passenger carriages. The official enquiry found the primary cause of the crash to be poor fastening of … Continue reading January 18, 1977 – Australia’s worst rail disaster occurs at Granville, Sydney, killing 83
January 18, 1919 – Post-World War I peace conference began in Paris
On January 18, 1919, in Paris, France, some of the most powerful people in the world met to begin the long, complicated negotiations that would officially mark the end of the First World War. Leaders of the victorious Allied powers—France, Great Britain, the United States and Italy—would make most of the crucial decisions in Paris over … Continue reading January 18, 1919 – Post-World War I peace conference began in Paris
January 17, 1877 – Birth of May Gibbs, English-Australian author and illustrator
Cecilia May Gibbs MBE (17 January 1877 – 27 November 1969) was an Australian children's author, illustrator, and cartoonist. She is best known for her gumnut babies (also known as "bush babies" or "bush fairies"), and the book Snugglepot and Cuddlepie. Gibbs was born in Sydenham, Kent, in the United Kingdom, to Herbert William Gibbs (1852 – 4 October 1940) … Continue reading January 17, 1877 – Birth of May Gibbs, English-Australian author and illustrator
January 17, 1966 – NBC greenlights “The Monkees”
The inspiration came from the Beatles, the financing came from Screen Gems, the music came from Don Kirshner and the stars came from an exhaustive audition process that began with this ad in Daily Variety in September 1965: Madness! Auditions For Acting Roles in New TV Series Running Parts for 4 Insane Boys, Age 17-21 The ad … Continue reading January 17, 1966 – NBC greenlights “The Monkees”
January 16, 1918 – Birth of Clem Jones, 8th Lord Mayor of Brisbane
Clem Jones AO (16 January 1918 – 15 December 2007), a surveyor by profession, was the longest serving Lord Mayor of Brisbane, Queensland, representing the Labor Party from 1961 to 1975. He was Chair of the Darwin Reconstruction Commission from 1975 to 1978. He was a successful businessman and philanthropist. Public life During Jones' 15 years in office as the head of the Brisbane … Continue reading January 16, 1918 – Birth of Clem Jones, 8th Lord Mayor of Brisbane
January 16, 1979 – Shah flees Iran
Faced with an army mutiny and violent demonstrations against his rule, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, the leader of Iran since 1941, is forced to flee the country. Fourteen days later, the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, the spiritual leader of the Islamic revolution, returned after 15 years of exile and took control of Iran. In 1941, British … Continue reading January 16, 1979 – Shah flees Iran
January 15, 1842 – Birth of Mary MacKillop, nun and Australia’s first saint
Mary Helen MacKillop RSJ (15 January 1842 – 8 August 1909) was an Australian religious sister who has been declared a saint by the Catholic Church, as St Mary of the Cross. Of Scottish descent, she was born in Melbourne but is best known for her activities in South Australia. Together with the Reverend Julian Tenison-Woods, she founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart (the Josephites), … Continue reading January 15, 1842 – Birth of Mary MacKillop, nun and Australia’s first saint
Craig Hill 