- 1770 – Captain James Cook arrives and names Botany Bay, aboard HM Bark Endeavour.
- 1910 – The Second Fisher Ministry is sworn in after the Labour Party defeats the sitting Commonwealth Liberal Party at the 1910 federal election, with Andrew Fisher (pictured) becoming Prime Minister of Australia for a second time.
- 1941 – A 7.2-magnitude earthquake, the strongest recorded in Australia, hits near the station of Meeberrie in the Murchison district of Western Australia.
- 1952 – The ANZUS Treaty, a military alliance between Australia, New Zealand, and the United States, comes into force.
- 1954 – The Soviet Union's embassy in Canberra is closed as a result of the Petrov Affair.
- 1988 – As part of the Bicentenary, Queen Elizabeth II opens the National Stockman's Hall of Fame in Longreach, Queensland.