Portal:Australia/Anniversaries

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More did you know's - (scrolling list)

Did you know? consists of a series of "hooks", which are interesting facts taken from Wikipedia's newest or recently expanded Australian related articles. The choice of articles is subject to a series of criteria, see DYK rules for more information.

... that Holly Ringland wrote her second book while stuck in Australia for three years during the COVID-19 pandemic?
... that in 1919 nurse Hilda Hope McMaugh became the first Australian woman to qualify as a pilot?
... that Tupou VI was crowned by D'Arcy Wood, an Australian, in order to respect the tradition of native Tongans not touching the king's head?
... that Australia has three major Japanese language schools?
... that John Dique constructed the machine used by the first Australian patient to receive dialysis?
... that the 2022 Optus data breach affected over a third of Australians?
... that Sarah Cox brought the first breach of promise suit in Australia, during which she was represented by her future husband William Wentworth?
... that in 2010, Lauren Mitchell became the first Australian female artistic gymnast to win a world title?
... that Peter Read coined the term "Stolen Generations" to refer to Aboriginal children who were forcibly separated from their families by Australian governments?
... that the first imported copies of Norman Lindsay's Age of Consent were confiscated by Australian customs authorities?
... that Australian official Jack Emanuel was awarded the George Cross in 1971 after being stabbed to death whilst trying to resolve a land dispute with the Tolai people of New Guinea?
... that although the Eurovision Song Contest 2020 was cancelled, Iceland's planned entry for that year was chosen as the alternative winner in several countries, including Sweden and Australia?
... that Australian judoka Josh Katz competed in the 2024 Paris Olympics six months after completely rupturing an ACL?
... that pumices erupted by the Protector Shoal volcano in 1962 floated to Australia and South America?
... that in 2007, Arthur Gray's £2 Kangaroo and Map stamp sold for a world record price for a single Australian stamp?
... that an Australian High Court case found a hotel chain to have used third-party contractors to avoid paying employees their required benefits?
... that South Australian Labor premier Des Corcoran was mentioned in despatches for courage and skill in evacuating casualties during the Korean War?
... that politician John D'Orazio helped to secure a three-year trial of daylight saving time in Western Australia?
... that Australian train driver Bill Morrow received the Soviet Union's Lenin Peace Prize alongside Fidel Castro?
... that in the 1920s, Australian journalist E. George Marks predicted military conflict in the Pacific between Japan and the United States?
... that to learn the rules of American football, Australian Adam Korsak, who was named the best college punter in 2022, played Madden NFL 06 and watched Any Given Sunday?
... that author Ann Howard interviewed more than 100 Australians about their experiences as child evacuees sent inland during World War II when a Japanese invasion seemed imminent?
... that the first judgement of 2022 from the High Court of Australia was considered a loss for a labour hire organisation, but a win for labour hire organisations?
... that Australia's most threatened butterfly is confined to a native range of less than 10 square kilometres (3.9 sq mi)?
... that Australian gamer Zer0 led his team to an Apex Legends Global Series championship with a substitution teammate to whom he had never spoken before?
... that Mabel Freer was deported from Australia because she could not speak Italian?
... that Monique Ryan ran for election to the Parliament of Australia after seeing an advertisement in the newspaper calling for an independent candidate?
... that convict James Davis escaped custody in Australia and lived with Aboriginal Australians for 13 years?
... that politics in The Simpsons have caused controversy in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, and Japan?
... that Ged Kearney represented Batman in the Parliament of Australia from 2018 to 2019?
... that the government of Victoria, Australia, has a program to remove 110 level crossings by 2030, the fastest rate in the state's history?
... that Scottish painter Gordon Coutts left Australia without paying maintenance to his estranged wife, but was arrested in New Zealand?
... that when Australian Brihony Dawson debuted as the first non-binary host of reality TV franchise The Challenge, they decided not to imitate the "ominous" style of the U.S. host?
... that Lord Stonehaven, Governor-General of Australia, called Hay War Memorial High School the "finest war memorial in the British Empire"?
... that an exhibition match of Australian rules football was contested in London on 28 October 1916 between two teams of elite footballers also serving in the First AIF?
... that the Greco-Australian dialect, a variety of Modern Greek, blends words with English roots into the Greek language?
... that Collingwood coach Robert Harvey gave Anton Tohill his AFL debut in 2021, having played International Rules Series against Tohill's father in the 1990s?
... that Aboriginal soldier Tim Hughes was decorated for remarkable bravery, exceptional coolness and initiative during the Battle of Buna–Gona?
... that Eva Duldig, who was interned by Australia during the Second World War, later represented the country at the Wimbledon Championships?
... that Turkish international soccer player Rojin Polat was named member of the "2021 All Schools Merit Girls Team" in New South Wales, Australia?
... that the Australian government tried to censor a film of Quail Island's starving koalas?
... that a dispute over paid sick leave at a chocolate factory ended up before the High Court of Australia in Mondelez v AMWU?
... that the South Australian Labor politician Ernest Roberts served two tours in South Africa during the Second Boer War?
... that Bill Dunn, an Indigenous Australian pastoralist approaching retirement, sold his station at half-price to the Jigalong community despite receiving full-price offers from non-Indigenous people?
... that the dominant species in the Iron-grass Natural Temperate Grassland of South Australia are often not grasses at all?

More current events - (scrolling list)

30 September 2024 – Australia–Tuvalu relations, Climate change in Tuvalu: Tuvalu's climate minister denounces the Australian Labor government's decision to expand three coal mines as an existential threat to the nation, due to the role of the mines in causing rising sea levels that have forced mass displacement across Tuvalu's low-lying islands. (The Guardian)
28 September 2024 – 2024 AFL premiership season: The Brisbane Lions defeat the Sydney Swans 120–60 in the Australian Football League Grand Final to win their fourth AFL premiership title. (The Guardian Australia)
26 September 2024 – Israel–Hezbollah conflict: Israel rejects proposals from the United States, Australia, and the European Union to initiate a temporary 21-day ceasefire with Hezbollah. (Reuters) (Reuters 2)
23 September 2024 – 2024 AFL season: In Australian football, Patrick Cripps wins his second Brownlow Medal with 45 votes, the most votes since the current voting system was introduced, and also becomes the seventeenth player to win the award more than once. (ABC News Australia)
18 September 2024 –: Alleged Ghost developer and administrator Jay Je Yoon Jung is arrested in Sydney, Australia, on five charges related to the encrypted communication network's development and operation. (The Register)
11 September 2024 – Israel–Hamas war protests: Victoria Police arrest 39 people and fire stun grenades, rubber bullets, and pepper spray at anti-war and pro-Palestinian protestors picketing outside a military weapons expo in Melbourne, Australia. (Al Jazeera)
27 August 2024 –: Australian Police and New Zealand Police announce they have concluded a joint illicit drug operation that resulted in 1,611 arrests and 2,962 charges nationwide. The police also confiscated almost 1,400 kilograms (3,100 lb) of illicit drugs and over 2,500 cannabis plants, worth 93 million AUD (US$63 million). (DW)
25 August 2024 –: Four people are injured in a mass stabbing in Engadine, New South Wales, Australia. The suspect is later taken into custody. (Reuters)
15 August 2024 – Israel–Hamas war: Peter Dutton, the leader of Australia’s Liberal Party, calls on the Australian government to ban the entry of Palestinian refugees fleeing from conflict in the Gaza Strip, which is met with significant condemnation from several politicians and organizations as promoting racial stereotypes. (ABC Australia) (Al Jazeera); SBS World News reports that the Australian government has rejected a majority of Palestinian visa applications, accepting 2,922 applications and rejecting 7,111 applications while granting 8,746 visas to Israeli citizens and rejecting only 235 applications. (Al Jazeera)
12 August 2024 –: One person is killed and several others are injured when a helicopter stolen from Cairns Airport crashes into a hotel in Cairns, Queensland, Australia. (The Guardian)