What happened in history in Oceania

Labor Day in Australia is a public holiday on dates which vary between states and territories. It is the first Monday in October in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and South Australia. In Victoria and Tasmania, it is the second Monday in March (though the latter calls it Eight Hours Day). In Western Australia, Labor Day is the first Monday in March. In Queensland and the Northern Territory, Labor Day occurs on the first Monday in May (though the latter calls it May Day). It is on the fourth Monday of March in the territory of Christmas Island. The first march for an eight-hour day by the labor movement occurred in Melbourne on 21 April 1856.

Though widely traveled, Edward was racially prejudiced against foreigners and many of the Empire's subjects, believing that whites were inherently superior. In 1920, on a visit to Australia, he wrote of Indigenous Australians: "they are the most revolting form of living creatures I've ever seen!! They are the lowest known form of human beings & are the nearest thing to monkeys."

During the 1925–1926 Victorian bushfire season a series of major bushfires occurred between 26 January and 10 March 1926 in the state of Victoria in Australia. A total of 60 people were killed, 700 injured, and 1000 buildings were destroyed across the south-east of the state.

The Black Friday bushfires of 13 January 1939, in Victoria, Australia, were among the worst natural bushfires (wildfires) in the world. Almost 20,000 km2 (4,942,000 acres, 2,000,000 ha) of land was burned, 71 people died, several towns were entirely obliterated and the Royal Commission that resulted from it led to major changes in forest management. Over 1,300 homes and 69 sawmills were burned, and 3,700 buildings were destroyed.

Being sick of the negative typecasting that had enveloped her throughout her American career, Wong visited Australia for more than three months in 1939. There she was the star attraction in a vaudeville show entitled 'Highlights from Hollywood' at the Tivoli Theatre in Melbourne.

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, on 23 January and February 1942. It was a strategically significant defeat of Allied forces by Japan.

Battle of Rabaul (1942)

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The Bombing of Darwin, on 19 February 1942 was the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia. On that day, 242 Japanese aircraft, in two separate raids, attacked the town, ships in Darwin's harbor.

Bombing of Darwin

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The American Force Landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in August.

The Guadalcanal campaign also known as Operation Watchtower, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal. It was the first major land offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan. The Guadalcanal campaign was a significant strategic Allied combined-arms victory in the Pacific theater.

Marines rest in the field on Guadalcanal

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The Battle of Buna–Gona was part of the New Guinea campaign, It ended the Kokoda Track campaign and lasted from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943. The battle was fought by Australian and United States forces against the Japanese beachheads at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. The resolve and tenacity of the Japanese in defense was unprecedented and had not previously been encountered. For the Allies, there were a number of valuable but costly lessons in the conduct of jungle warfare. Allied losses in the battle were at a rate higher than that experienced at Guadalcanal. For the first time, the American public was confronted with the images of dead American troops.

Wounded Australian soldier led by a Papuan orderly at Buna

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Guadalcanal soon became a focal point for both sides with heavy commitments of troops and ships in the battle for Guadalcanal. By the start of 1943, the Japanese were defeated on the island (Guadalcanal) and withdrew their troops. Operation Ke was a largely successful withdrawal of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal. The operation took place between 14 January and 7 February 1943. The withdrawal was carried out on the nights of 1, 4, and 7 February by destroyers. And on 9 February, Allied forces realized that the Japanese were gone and declared Guadalcanal secure, ending the six-month campaign for control of the island.

Seeking more excitement, he requested sea duty and on July 2, 1943 was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 25 and the South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command (SCAT), supporting the logistics of operations in the South Pacific Theater.

Marine Air Group 25 logo - image

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On October 1, 1943, Nixon was promoted to lieutenant. Then Nixon commanded the SCAT forward detachments at Vella Lavella, Bougainville, and finally at Green Island (Nissan Island).

While serving with his platoon in 1944 on Guam and the Philippines, he was awarded two Bronze Star Medals with a "V" device, for exceptional valor in aiding wounded soldiers under fire. During the Battle of Okinawa, he saved the lives of 50–100 wounded infantrymen atop the area known by the 96th Division as the Maeda Escarpment or Hacksaw Ridge.

Desmond Doss CMH award Image

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Operation Hailstone took place 17 to 18 February 1944, was a massive United States Navy air and surface attack on Truk Lagoon conducted as part of the American offensive drive against the Imperial Japanese Navy. As a result, Japanese reinforcement of Eniwetok garrison prevented.

Operation Hailstone

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In April, the Allies launched an operation to retake Western New Guinea. The Western New Guinea campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign, the campaign begun on 22 April 1944. Fighting in western New Guinea continued until the end of the war.

After World War II, Australia was the first country to make the drug available for civilian use. In the U.S., penicillin was made available to the general public on March 15, 1945.

Philip opened the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

The 1967 Tasmanian fires were an Australian natural disaster which occurred on 7 February 1967, an event which came to be known as the Black Tuesday bushfires. They were the most deadly bushfires that Tasmania has ever experienced, leaving 62 people dead, 900 injured and over seven thousand homeless.

1967 Tasmanian fires

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The first Australian KFC was opened in 1968 in Guildford, a suburb of Sydney. Now, there exist more than 640 outlets in Australia.

KFC in Australia

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Between 1970 and 1971, 75 outlets were opened, this had a major impact on Australian chicken production, which increased by 38 percent during the period.

Red Dog was believed to have been born in the town of Paraburdoo, Western Australia in 1971.

In 1971, The first KFC opened in New Zealand at Royal Oak, a suburb of Auckland. Now, there exist over 100 outlets in New Zealand.

Red Dog was called by a variety of names by those who knew him, including Bluey, Tally Ho, and Dog of the Northwest. Tally Ho was his first name, given to him by a man called Colin Cummings, who is believed to have been his first owner, and the one who brought him to Dampier.

Johnson briefly lived in New Zealand with his mother's family, where he attended Richmond Road Primary School in Grey Lynn before returning to the United States.

His second owner was John Stazzonelli, a bus driver with Hamersley Iron, who took the dog with him in his bus. With John, Red Dog travelled as far as Perth, Broome, Roebourne, Point Samson and Port Hedland.

Following Stazzonelli's death in 1975, Red Dog spent a lot of time travelling on his own. He was also taken in by many members of the community, and a veterinarian who treated him. Each time he visited the vet, it was with a new owner. Red was made a member of the Dampier Salts Sport and Social Club and the Transport Workers' Union, and was also given a bank account with the Bank of New South Wales, which was said to have used him as a mascot, with the slogan "If Red banks at the Wales, then you can too."

Although Red Dog was well liked, it is believed that he was deliberately poisoned in 1979 with strychnine.

Red Dog was buried, by veterinarian Rick Fenny, in a secret unmarked grave around Roebourne, Western Australia.

The Pilbara WandererRed Dog statue

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Jacinda was born in Hamilton, New Zealand, Ardern grew up as a Mormon in Morrinsville and Murupara, where her father, Ross Ardern, worked as a police officer, and her mother, Laurell Ardern (née Bottomley), worked as a school catering assistant.

Ross Ardern

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Elizabeth II visited New Zealand with her husband Prince Philip in October 1981.

On 20 May 1982, Robert Muldoon announced that New Zealand would make HMNZS Canterbury, a Leander-class frigate, available for use where the British thought fit to release a Royal Navy vessel for the Falklands. The New Zealand government expelled the Argentinian ambassador following the invasion. The Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon, was in London when the war broke out.

Robert Muldoon

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William began accompanying his parents on official visits at an early age. In 1983, he accompanied them on a tour to Australia and New Zealand, a decision made by Diana. The decision was considered to be unconventional because the first- and second-in-line to the throne would be traveling together, and because of William's young age.

The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983, which was Ash Wednesday in the Christian calendar. In Victoria 47 people died. There were 28 deaths in South Australia. This included 14 CFA and 3 CFS volunteer fire-fighters who died across both states that day.

Ash Wednesday bushfires

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Soon after Red's death, Australian, author Nancy Gillespie wrote and compiled anecdotes and poetry written by several people of the Pilbara region for her 1983 book Red Dog.

In February 1986 Australia launched its Cellular Telephone System by Telecom Australia. Peter Reedman was the first Telecom Customer to be connected on 6 January 1986 along with five other subscribers as test customers prior to the official launch date of 28 February.

Jacinda studied at Morrinsville College, where she was the student representative on the school's Board of Trustees. Whilst still at school she found her first job, working at a local fish-and-chip shop.

A Boeing 747-3B5, Korean Air Flight 801, crashed on August 6, 1997, on approach to the international airport in the United States territory of Guam, killing 228 of the 254 people aboard. Contributing factors in the crash were fatigue and errors by the flight crew, inadequate flight crew training, and a modification of the airport's altitude warning system that prevented it from detecting aircraft below a minimum safe altitude.

Korean Air Flight 801 wreck Image

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Ardern joined the Labour Party at the age of 17 and became a senior figure in the Young Labour sector of the party.

Ardern was brought into politics by her aunt, Marie Ardern, a longstanding member of the Labour Party, who recruited the teenaged Ardern to help her with campaigning for New Plymouth MP Harry Duynhoven during his re-election campaign at the 1999 general election.

Harry Duynhoven

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On August 8, 2000, Popeyes announced a franchise development plan/agreement that included 35 new restaurant locations around Australia in a bid to solidify their presence within the Asia Pacific region. All were to be located in the capital city of NSW, Sydney.

O'Neal forwent an opportunity to participate in the 2000 Olympics, explaining that two gold medals were enough.

Phelps' rapid improvement culminated when he qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics at the age of 15, as became the youngest male (since Ralph Flanagan in 1932) to make a U.S. Olympic swim team in 68 years.

Ralph Flanagan

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Branson launched Airline Virgin Blue in Australia in 2000.

Jacinda then attended the University of Waikato, graduating in 2001 with a Bachelor of Communication Studies (BCS) in politics and public relations.

After graduating from university, she spent time working in the offices of Phil Goff and of Helen Clark as a researcher.

Phil GoffHelen Clark

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The Rock successfully defended the title at the Global Warning event in Melbourne, Australia, against Triple H and Brock Lesnar after pinning Triple H.

Brock Lesnar

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Hawk was married to Lhotse Merriam from 2006 to 2011. Their wedding was held in Fiji and Rancid played for them as the wedding band.

Tony Hawk and Lhotse Merriam

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According to Tina Brown in her 2007 biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, William had, like his father, expressed a desire to become Governor-General of Australia. Prime Minister of Australia John Howard said, "We have for a long time embraced the idea that the person who occupies that post should be in every way an Australian citizen".

Prince William of Wales RAF Image

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In July 2007, Branson purchased his Australian home, Makepeace Island, in Noosa.

Makepeace Island

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In May 2008, Australian carrier Optus announced that it would establish a technology research facility with Huawei in Sydney.

Optus logo in 2008 - image

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Ahead of the 2008 election, Ardern was ranked 20th on Labour's party list. This was a very high placement for someone who was not already a sitting MP, She became Labour's candidate for the safe National electorate of Waikato. Ardern was unsuccessful in the electorate vote, but her high placement on Labour's party list allowed her to enter Parliament as a list MP. Upon election, she became the youngest sitting MP in Parliament, succeeding fellow Labour MP Darren Hughes, and remained the youngest MP until the election of Gareth Hughes on 11 February 2010.

Ardern, with Phil Goff and Carol Beaumont

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At the 2009 Australian Open, Nadal won his first five matches without dropping a set, before defeating compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals in the second longest match in Australian Open history at 5 hours and 14 minutes.

Rafael NadalRafael Nadal

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The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that ignited or were burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009 and were among Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire; there were 173 direct identified fatalities, The figure was later increased to 180 fatalities, after several people had succumbed to their injuries. Many were left homeless as a result.

At the start of the 2009 Formula One season on 28 March, it was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the new Brawn GP team, with discussions also underway about introducing a less "dirty" fuel in the medium term.

Richard Branson

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Kohli was selected in the four-team Emerging Players Tournament in July–August 2009 held in Australia. He opened the innings for India Emerging Players in that tournament and finished as the leading run-getter with 398 runs from seven matches at an average of 66.33. He scored 104 off 102 balls in the final against South Africa Emerging Players at Brisbane to help his team win the match by 17 runs and clinch the title

In March 2011, William visited Christchurch, New Zealand, shortly after the earthquake, and spoke at the memorial service at Hagley Park on behalf of his grandmother. Upon leaving New Zealand, he traveled to Australia to visit areas affected by flooding in Queensland and Victoria.

De Berniere's novel was adapted as a critically acclaimed feature film about Red. It was made in Australia and released in August 2011. Based on a screenplay by Daniel Taplitz, it is directed by Kriv Stenders. The title role was played by Koko.

Kriv StendersKoko at the premiere of Red Dog

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Ardern contested the seat of Auckland Central for Labour in the 2011 general election, standing against incumbent National MP Nikki Kaye for National and Greens candidate Denise Roche. Despite targeting Green voters to vote strategically for her, she lost to Kaye by 717 votes. However, she returned to Parliament via the party list, on which she was ranked 13th. Ardern maintained an office within the electorate while she was a list MP based in Auckland Central.

Nikki Kaye

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After Goff resigned from the Party leadership following his defeat at the 2011 election, Ardern supported David Shearer over David Cunliffe. She was elevated to the fourth-ranking position in the Shadow Cabinet on 19 December 2011, becoming a spokesperson for social development under new leader David Shearer.

David ShearerDavid Cunliffe

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In October 2013, he visited Australia for his first official visit to the country and attended the International Fleet Review at Sydney Harbour.

In December 2013, in anticipation of the rescheduling of alprazolam (Xanax) to Schedule 8 in Australia, Pfizer Australia announced they would be discontinuing the Xanax brand in Australia as it was no longer commercially viable.

At the beginning of March 2014, details were announced of the half-month-long tour to New Zealand and Australia, that the Duke, the Duchess, and their son, Prince George, would be taking from 16 to 25 April. The tour was Catherine's first visit to the area and Prince George's first major public appearance since his christening in October 2013. The tour began in New Zealand, where they visited Wellington, Blenheim, Auckland, Dunedin, Queenstown, and Christchurch. It ended in Australia, where they visited Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Brisbane, Uluru, Adelaide, and Canberra.

In March 2014, Xiaomi Store Australia (an unrelated business) began selling Xiaomi mobile phones online in Australia through its website, XiaomiStore.com.au. However, they traded for only a few months, as Xiaomi soon "requested" that the store be shut down on (or by) 25 July 2014. Shortly after sales were halted, the website itself was also taken down, on 7 August 2014. An industry commentator described the action by Xiaomi to get the Australian website closed down as unprecedented, saying, “I’ve never come across this [before]. It would have to be a strategic move.” At the time this left only one online vendor selling Xiaomi mobile phones into Australia, namely Yatango (formerly MobiCity), which was based in Hong Kong — although this business closed in late 2015.

Ardern stood again in Auckland Central at the 2014 general election. She again finished second though increased her own vote and reduced Kaye's majority from 717 to 600. Ranked 5th on Labour's list Ardern was still returned to Parliament where she became Shadow spokesperson for Justice, Children, Small Business, and Arts & Culture under new leader Andrew Little.

In 2014, the National Australia Bank closed accounts of businesses with ties to bitcoin.

In 2015, the Australian Federal Court ordered Visa to pay a pecuniary penalty of $20 million (including legal fees) for engaging in anti-competitive conduct against Dynamic Currency Conversion operators, in proceedings brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

On 6 April 2015, Harry reported for duty to Australia's Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra, Australia. Harry flew to Darwin later that day to begin his month-long secondment to the ADF's 1st Brigade. His visit included detachments to NORFORCE as well as to an aviation unit.

Prince Harry Image

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Harry's attachment with the ADF ended on 8 May 2015.

In November 2016, American Samoa's island of Ta'u with a population of approximately 600 was converted to a solar and battery microgrid from diesel-based energy generation.

Ta'u Island in the Pacific Ocean - image

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Ardern put forward her name for the Labour nomination for the Mount Albert by-election to be held in February 2017 following the resignation of David Shearer on 8 December 2016. When nominations for the Labour Party closed on 12 January 2017, Ardern was the only nominee and was elected unopposed.

On 21 January, Ardern participated in the 2017 Women's March, a worldwide protest in opposition to Donald Trump, the newly inaugurated president of the United States. She was confirmed as Labour's candidate at a meeting on 22 January. Ardern won a landslide victory, gaining 77 percent of votes cast in the preliminary results.

Donald Trump

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Following her win in the by-election, Ardern was unanimously elected as deputy leader of the Labour Party on 7 March 2017, following the resignation of Annette King who was intending to retire at the next election. Ardern's vacant list seat was taken by Raymond Huo.

At 37, Ardern became the youngest leader of the Labour Party in its history. She is also the second female leader of the party after Helen Clark.

In mid-August 2017, Ardern stated that a Labour government would establish a tax working group to explore the possibility of introducing a capital gains tax but ruled out taxing family homes. In response to negative publicity, Ardern abandoned plans to introduce a capital gains tax during the first term of a Labour government.

In September 2017, Musk arranged a contract with the government of South Australia for Tesla Energy to install what would then be the world's largest lithium-ion battery pack, to help alleviate energy blackouts in the state. Musk arranged this on Twitter, with the guarantee that it would be installed in 100 days or would be free. This deadline was achieved and the resulting battery exceeded expected performance and returns, despite skepticism from Australian federal politicians.

On 19 October 2017, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters agreed to form a coalition with Labour, making Ardern the next prime minister. This coalition receives confidence and supply from the Green Party. Ardern named Peters as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. She also gave New Zealand First five posts in her government, with Peters and three other ministers serving in Cabinet.

she was sworn in by the Governor-General on 26 October 2017. She became the world's youngest female head of government at age 37.

Swearing-in of the Cabinet on 26 October 2017

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On 5 November 2017, Ardern made her first official overseas trip to Australia, where she met Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for the first time.

On 2 February 2018, Ardern traveled to Waitangi for the annual Waitangi Day commemoration; she stayed in Waitangi for five days, an unprecedented length. Ardern became the first female prime minister to speak from the top marae. Her visit was largely well-received by Māori leaders, with commentators noting a sharp contrast with the acrimonious responses received by several of her predecessors.

In May 2018, the government of Papua New Guinea announced that it would ban Facebook for a month while it considered the impact of the website on the country, though no ban has since occurred.

On 19 January 2018, Ardern announced that she was pregnant and that Winston Peters would take the role of acting prime minister for six weeks after the birth. Following the birth of a daughter, she took her maternity leave from 21 June to 2 August 2018.

In July 2018, Ardern announced the start of her government's flagship Families Package. Among its provisions, the package gradually increased paid parental leave to 26 weeks and paid $60-a-week to low and middle-income families with young children.

The Duchess takes part in her husband's work as a youth ambassador to the Commonwealth, which includes overseas tours. The first such trip was to Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand in October 2018. Despite public debate on the future of the monarchy in Australia, the couple was greeted by crowds in Sydney, and the announcement of the Duchess's pregnancy hours after their arrival was received enthusiastically by the public and media.

On 15 March 2019, 51 people were fatally shot and 49 injured in two mosques in Christchurch. In a statement broadcast on television, Ardern offered condolences and stated that the shootings had been carried out by suspects with "extremist views" that have no place in New Zealand, or anywhere else in the world. She also described it as a well-planned terrorist attack.

Ardern visits members of the Muslim community

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In March 2019, the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand used Facebook to stream live footage of the attack as it unfolded. Facebook took 29 minutes to detect the livestreamed video, which was eight minutes longer than it took police to arrest the gunman. About 1.3M copies of the video were blocked from Facebook but 300,000 copies were published and shared.

Kenin opened the 2020 seasons by playing the Premier-level events at Brisbane and Adelaide, falling in the second round of both tournaments to Osaka and compatriot Danielle Collins respectively. She also played doubles with Mattek-Sands in Adelaide, but the pair fell in the semifinals to the eventual champions Nicole Melichar and Xu Yifan. Seeded 14th at the Australian Open, Kenin recorded straight-set wins over qualifiers Martina Trevisan and compatriot Ann Li to reach the third round for the first time. She then overcame a double break deficit in the first set to defeat 2016 quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai and advance to the fourth round, where she defeated Coco Gauff to reach the quarterfinals. Kenin went on to defeat Ons Jabeur in straight sets, advancing to her first semifinal at a Grand Slam championship. She then defeated the top seed Ashleigh Barty in straight sets to reach the final, where she defeated Garbiñe Muguruza in three sets to claim the trophy. Eventually, she entered the Top ten worldwide by ranking 7th on Feb 3, 2020.

On 12, March 2020, Tom Hanks announced that both he and his wife have tested positive on his Instagram account. It's reported that they got infected while filming a movie in Australia

On 14 March 2020, Ardern announced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand that the government would be requiring anyone entering the country from midnight 15 March to isolate themselves for 14 days. She said the new rules will mean New Zealand has the "widest ranging and toughest border restrictions of any country in the world". On 19 March, Ardern stated that New Zealand's borders would be closed to all non-citizens and non-permanent residents, after 11:59 pm on 20 March (NZDT). Ardern announced that New Zealand would move to alert level 4, including a nationwide lockdown, at 11:59 pm on 25 March

On 19 March, Ardern stated that New Zealand's borders would be closed to all non-citizens and non-permanent residents, after 11:59 pm on 20 March (NZDT). Ardern announced that New Zealand would move to alert level 4, including a nationwide lockdown, at 11:59 pm on 25 March.

Labor Day in Australia is a public holiday on dates which vary between states and territories. It is the first Monday in October in the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales and South Australia. In Victoria and Tasmania, it is the second Monday in March (though the latter calls it Eight Hours Day). In Western Australia, Labor Day is the first Monday in March. In Queensland and the Northern Territory, Labor Day occurs on the first Monday in May (though the latter calls it May Day). It is on the fourth Monday of March in the territory of Christmas Island. The first march for an eight-hour day by the labor movement occurred in Melbourne on 21 April 1856.

Though widely traveled, Edward was racially prejudiced against foreigners and many of the Empire's subjects, believing that whites were inherently superior. In 1920, on a visit to Australia, he wrote of Indigenous Australians: "they are the most revolting form of living creatures I've ever seen!! They are the lowest known form of human beings & are the nearest thing to monkeys."

During the 1925–1926 Victorian bushfire season a series of major bushfires occurred between 26 January and 10 March 1926 in the state of Victoria in Australia. A total of 60 people were killed, 700 injured, and 1000 buildings were destroyed across the south-east of the state.

The Black Friday bushfires of 13 January 1939, in Victoria, Australia, were among the worst natural bushfires (wildfires) in the world. Almost 20,000 km2 (4,942,000 acres, 2,000,000 ha) of land was burned, 71 people died, several towns were entirely obliterated and the Royal Commission that resulted from it led to major changes in forest management. Over 1,300 homes and 69 sawmills were burned, and 3,700 buildings were destroyed.

Being sick of the negative typecasting that had enveloped her throughout her American career, Wong visited Australia for more than three months in 1939. There she was the star attraction in a vaudeville show entitled 'Highlights from Hollywood' at the Tivoli Theatre in Melbourne.

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, on 23 January and February 1942. It was a strategically significant defeat of Allied forces by Japan.

Battle of Rabaul (1942)

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The Bombing of Darwin, on 19 February 1942 was the largest single attack ever mounted by a foreign power on Australia. On that day, 242 Japanese aircraft, in two separate raids, attacked the town, ships in Darwin's harbor.

Bombing of Darwin

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The American Force Landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in August.

The Guadalcanal campaign also known as Operation Watchtower, was a military campaign fought between 7 August 1942 and 9 February 1943 on and around the island of Guadalcanal. It was the first major land offensive by Allied forces against the Empire of Japan. The Guadalcanal campaign was a significant strategic Allied combined-arms victory in the Pacific theater.

Marines rest in the field on Guadalcanal

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The Battle of Buna–Gona was part of the New Guinea campaign, It ended the Kokoda Track campaign and lasted from 16 November 1942 until 22 January 1943. The battle was fought by Australian and United States forces against the Japanese beachheads at Buna, Sanananda and Gona. The resolve and tenacity of the Japanese in defense was unprecedented and had not previously been encountered. For the Allies, there were a number of valuable but costly lessons in the conduct of jungle warfare. Allied losses in the battle were at a rate higher than that experienced at Guadalcanal. For the first time, the American public was confronted with the images of dead American troops.

Wounded Australian soldier led by a Papuan orderly at Buna

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Guadalcanal soon became a focal point for both sides with heavy commitments of troops and ships in the battle for Guadalcanal. By the start of 1943, the Japanese were defeated on the island (Guadalcanal) and withdrew their troops. Operation Ke was a largely successful withdrawal of Japanese forces from Guadalcanal. The operation took place between 14 January and 7 February 1943. The withdrawal was carried out on the nights of 1, 4, and 7 February by destroyers. And on 9 February, Allied forces realized that the Japanese were gone and declared Guadalcanal secure, ending the six-month campaign for control of the island.

Seeking more excitement, he requested sea duty and on July 2, 1943 was assigned to Marine Aircraft Group 25 and the South Pacific Combat Air Transport Command (SCAT), supporting the logistics of operations in the South Pacific Theater.

Marine Air Group 25 logo - image

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On October 1, 1943, Nixon was promoted to lieutenant. Then Nixon commanded the SCAT forward detachments at Vella Lavella, Bougainville, and finally at Green Island (Nissan Island).

While serving with his platoon in 1944 on Guam and the Philippines, he was awarded two Bronze Star Medals with a "V" device, for exceptional valor in aiding wounded soldiers under fire. During the Battle of Okinawa, he saved the lives of 50–100 wounded infantrymen atop the area known by the 96th Division as the Maeda Escarpment or Hacksaw Ridge.

Desmond Doss CMH award Image

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Operation Hailstone took place 17 to 18 February 1944, was a massive United States Navy air and surface attack on Truk Lagoon conducted as part of the American offensive drive against the Imperial Japanese Navy. As a result, Japanese reinforcement of Eniwetok garrison prevented.

Operation Hailstone

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In April, the Allies launched an operation to retake Western New Guinea. The Western New Guinea campaign was a series of actions in the New Guinea campaign, the campaign begun on 22 April 1944. Fighting in western New Guinea continued until the end of the war.

After World War II, Australia was the first country to make the drug available for civilian use. In the U.S., penicillin was made available to the general public on March 15, 1945.

Philip opened the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne.

The 1967 Tasmanian fires were an Australian natural disaster which occurred on 7 February 1967, an event which came to be known as the Black Tuesday bushfires. They were the most deadly bushfires that Tasmania has ever experienced, leaving 62 people dead, 900 injured and over seven thousand homeless.

1967 Tasmanian fires

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The first Australian KFC was opened in 1968 in Guildford, a suburb of Sydney. Now, there exist more than 640 outlets in Australia.

KFC in Australia

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Between 1970 and 1971, 75 outlets were opened, this had a major impact on Australian chicken production, which increased by 38 percent during the period.

Red Dog was believed to have been born in the town of Paraburdoo, Western Australia in 1971.

In 1971, The first KFC opened in New Zealand at Royal Oak, a suburb of Auckland. Now, there exist over 100 outlets in New Zealand.

Red Dog was called by a variety of names by those who knew him, including Bluey, Tally Ho, and Dog of the Northwest. Tally Ho was his first name, given to him by a man called Colin Cummings, who is believed to have been his first owner, and the one who brought him to Dampier.

Johnson briefly lived in New Zealand with his mother's family, where he attended Richmond Road Primary School in Grey Lynn before returning to the United States.

His second owner was John Stazzonelli, a bus driver with Hamersley Iron, who took the dog with him in his bus. With John, Red Dog travelled as far as Perth, Broome, Roebourne, Point Samson and Port Hedland.

Following Stazzonelli's death in 1975, Red Dog spent a lot of time travelling on his own. He was also taken in by many members of the community, and a veterinarian who treated him. Each time he visited the vet, it was with a new owner. Red was made a member of the Dampier Salts Sport and Social Club and the Transport Workers' Union, and was also given a bank account with the Bank of New South Wales, which was said to have used him as a mascot, with the slogan "If Red banks at the Wales, then you can too."

Although Red Dog was well liked, it is believed that he was deliberately poisoned in 1979 with strychnine.

Red Dog was buried, by veterinarian Rick Fenny, in a secret unmarked grave around Roebourne, Western Australia.

The Pilbara WandererRed Dog statue

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Jacinda was born in Hamilton, New Zealand, Ardern grew up as a Mormon in Morrinsville and Murupara, where her father, Ross Ardern, worked as a police officer, and her mother, Laurell Ardern (née Bottomley), worked as a school catering assistant.

Ross Ardern

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Elizabeth II visited New Zealand with her husband Prince Philip in October 1981.

On 20 May 1982, Robert Muldoon announced that New Zealand would make HMNZS Canterbury, a Leander-class frigate, available for use where the British thought fit to release a Royal Navy vessel for the Falklands. The New Zealand government expelled the Argentinian ambassador following the invasion. The Prime Minister, Robert Muldoon, was in London when the war broke out.

Robert Muldoon

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William began accompanying his parents on official visits at an early age. In 1983, he accompanied them on a tour to Australia and New Zealand, a decision made by Diana. The decision was considered to be unconventional because the first- and second-in-line to the throne would be traveling together, and because of William's young age.

The Ash Wednesday bushfires, known in South Australia as Ash Wednesday II, were a series of bushfires that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983, which was Ash Wednesday in the Christian calendar. In Victoria 47 people died. There were 28 deaths in South Australia. This included 14 CFA and 3 CFS volunteer fire-fighters who died across both states that day.

Ash Wednesday bushfires

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Soon after Red's death, Australian, author Nancy Gillespie wrote and compiled anecdotes and poetry written by several people of the Pilbara region for her 1983 book Red Dog.

In February 1986 Australia launched its Cellular Telephone System by Telecom Australia. Peter Reedman was the first Telecom Customer to be connected on 6 January 1986 along with five other subscribers as test customers prior to the official launch date of 28 February.

Jacinda studied at Morrinsville College, where she was the student representative on the school's Board of Trustees. Whilst still at school she found her first job, working at a local fish-and-chip shop.

A Boeing 747-3B5, Korean Air Flight 801, crashed on August 6, 1997, on approach to the international airport in the United States territory of Guam, killing 228 of the 254 people aboard. Contributing factors in the crash were fatigue and errors by the flight crew, inadequate flight crew training, and a modification of the airport's altitude warning system that prevented it from detecting aircraft below a minimum safe altitude.

Korean Air Flight 801 wreck Image

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Ardern joined the Labour Party at the age of 17 and became a senior figure in the Young Labour sector of the party.

Ardern was brought into politics by her aunt, Marie Ardern, a longstanding member of the Labour Party, who recruited the teenaged Ardern to help her with campaigning for New Plymouth MP Harry Duynhoven during his re-election campaign at the 1999 general election.

Harry Duynhoven

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On August 8, 2000, Popeyes announced a franchise development plan/agreement that included 35 new restaurant locations around Australia in a bid to solidify their presence within the Asia Pacific region. All were to be located in the capital city of NSW, Sydney.

O'Neal forwent an opportunity to participate in the 2000 Olympics, explaining that two gold medals were enough.

Phelps' rapid improvement culminated when he qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics at the age of 15, as became the youngest male (since Ralph Flanagan in 1932) to make a U.S. Olympic swim team in 68 years.

Ralph Flanagan

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Branson launched Airline Virgin Blue in Australia in 2000.

Jacinda then attended the University of Waikato, graduating in 2001 with a Bachelor of Communication Studies (BCS) in politics and public relations.

After graduating from university, she spent time working in the offices of Phil Goff and of Helen Clark as a researcher.

Phil GoffHelen Clark

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The Rock successfully defended the title at the Global Warning event in Melbourne, Australia, against Triple H and Brock Lesnar after pinning Triple H.

Brock Lesnar

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Hawk was married to Lhotse Merriam from 2006 to 2011. Their wedding was held in Fiji and Rancid played for them as the wedding band.

Tony Hawk and Lhotse Merriam

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According to Tina Brown in her 2007 biography of Diana, Princess of Wales, William had, like his father, expressed a desire to become Governor-General of Australia. Prime Minister of Australia John Howard said, "We have for a long time embraced the idea that the person who occupies that post should be in every way an Australian citizen".

Prince William of Wales RAF Image

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In July 2007, Branson purchased his Australian home, Makepeace Island, in Noosa.

Makepeace Island

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In May 2008, Australian carrier Optus announced that it would establish a technology research facility with Huawei in Sydney.

Optus logo in 2008 - image

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Ahead of the 2008 election, Ardern was ranked 20th on Labour's party list. This was a very high placement for someone who was not already a sitting MP, She became Labour's candidate for the safe National electorate of Waikato. Ardern was unsuccessful in the electorate vote, but her high placement on Labour's party list allowed her to enter Parliament as a list MP. Upon election, she became the youngest sitting MP in Parliament, succeeding fellow Labour MP Darren Hughes, and remained the youngest MP until the election of Gareth Hughes on 11 February 2010.

Ardern, with Phil Goff and Carol Beaumont

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At the 2009 Australian Open, Nadal won his first five matches without dropping a set, before defeating compatriot Fernando Verdasco in the semifinals in the second longest match in Australian Open history at 5 hours and 14 minutes.

Rafael NadalRafael Nadal

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The Black Saturday bushfires were a series of bushfires that ignited or were burning across the Australian state of Victoria on and around Saturday, 7 February 2009 and were among Australia's all-time worst bushfire disasters. The fires occurred during extreme bushfire weather conditions and resulted in Australia's highest ever loss of life from a bushfire; there were 173 direct identified fatalities, The figure was later increased to 180 fatalities, after several people had succumbed to their injuries. Many were left homeless as a result.

At the start of the 2009 Formula One season on 28 March, it was announced that Virgin would be sponsoring the new Brawn GP team, with discussions also underway about introducing a less "dirty" fuel in the medium term.

Richard Branson

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Kohli was selected in the four-team Emerging Players Tournament in July–August 2009 held in Australia. He opened the innings for India Emerging Players in that tournament and finished as the leading run-getter with 398 runs from seven matches at an average of 66.33. He scored 104 off 102 balls in the final against South Africa Emerging Players at Brisbane to help his team win the match by 17 runs and clinch the title

In March 2011, William visited Christchurch, New Zealand, shortly after the earthquake, and spoke at the memorial service at Hagley Park on behalf of his grandmother. Upon leaving New Zealand, he traveled to Australia to visit areas affected by flooding in Queensland and Victoria.

De Berniere's novel was adapted as a critically acclaimed feature film about Red. It was made in Australia and released in August 2011. Based on a screenplay by Daniel Taplitz, it is directed by Kriv Stenders. The title role was played by Koko.

Kriv StendersKoko at the premiere of Red Dog

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Ardern contested the seat of Auckland Central for Labour in the 2011 general election, standing against incumbent National MP Nikki Kaye for National and Greens candidate Denise Roche. Despite targeting Green voters to vote strategically for her, she lost to Kaye by 717 votes. However, she returned to Parliament via the party list, on which she was ranked 13th. Ardern maintained an office within the electorate while she was a list MP based in Auckland Central.

Nikki Kaye

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After Goff resigned from the Party leadership following his defeat at the 2011 election, Ardern supported David Shearer over David Cunliffe. She was elevated to the fourth-ranking position in the Shadow Cabinet on 19 December 2011, becoming a spokesperson for social development under new leader David Shearer.

David ShearerDavid Cunliffe

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In October 2013, he visited Australia for his first official visit to the country and attended the International Fleet Review at Sydney Harbour.

In December 2013, in anticipation of the rescheduling of alprazolam (Xanax) to Schedule 8 in Australia, Pfizer Australia announced they would be discontinuing the Xanax brand in Australia as it was no longer commercially viable.

At the beginning of March 2014, details were announced of the half-month-long tour to New Zealand and Australia, that the Duke, the Duchess, and their son, Prince George, would be taking from 16 to 25 April. The tour was Catherine's first visit to the area and Prince George's first major public appearance since his christening in October 2013. The tour began in New Zealand, where they visited Wellington, Blenheim, Auckland, Dunedin, Queenstown, and Christchurch. It ended in Australia, where they visited Sydney, the Blue Mountains, Brisbane, Uluru, Adelaide, and Canberra.

In March 2014, Xiaomi Store Australia (an unrelated business) began selling Xiaomi mobile phones online in Australia through its website, XiaomiStore.com.au. However, they traded for only a few months, as Xiaomi soon "requested" that the store be shut down on (or by) 25 July 2014. Shortly after sales were halted, the website itself was also taken down, on 7 August 2014. An industry commentator described the action by Xiaomi to get the Australian website closed down as unprecedented, saying, “I’ve never come across this [before]. It would have to be a strategic move.” At the time this left only one online vendor selling Xiaomi mobile phones into Australia, namely Yatango (formerly MobiCity), which was based in Hong Kong — although this business closed in late 2015.

Ardern stood again in Auckland Central at the 2014 general election. She again finished second though increased her own vote and reduced Kaye's majority from 717 to 600. Ranked 5th on Labour's list Ardern was still returned to Parliament where she became Shadow spokesperson for Justice, Children, Small Business, and Arts & Culture under new leader Andrew Little.

In 2014, the National Australia Bank closed accounts of businesses with ties to bitcoin.

In 2015, the Australian Federal Court ordered Visa to pay a pecuniary penalty of $20 million (including legal fees) for engaging in anti-competitive conduct against Dynamic Currency Conversion operators, in proceedings brought by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.

On 6 April 2015, Harry reported for duty to Australia's Chief of the Defence Force, Air Chief Marshal Mark Binskin at the Royal Military College, Duntroon in Canberra, Australia. Harry flew to Darwin later that day to begin his month-long secondment to the ADF's 1st Brigade. His visit included detachments to NORFORCE as well as to an aviation unit.

Prince Harry Image

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Harry's attachment with the ADF ended on 8 May 2015.

In November 2016, American Samoa's island of Ta'u with a population of approximately 600 was converted to a solar and battery microgrid from diesel-based energy generation.

Ta'u Island in the Pacific Ocean - image

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Ardern put forward her name for the Labour nomination for the Mount Albert by-election to be held in February 2017 following the resignation of David Shearer on 8 December 2016. When nominations for the Labour Party closed on 12 January 2017, Ardern was the only nominee and was elected unopposed.

On 21 January, Ardern participated in the 2017 Women's March, a worldwide protest in opposition to Donald Trump, the newly inaugurated president of the United States. She was confirmed as Labour's candidate at a meeting on 22 January. Ardern won a landslide victory, gaining 77 percent of votes cast in the preliminary results.

Donald Trump

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Following her win in the by-election, Ardern was unanimously elected as deputy leader of the Labour Party on 7 March 2017, following the resignation of Annette King who was intending to retire at the next election. Ardern's vacant list seat was taken by Raymond Huo.

At 37, Ardern became the youngest leader of the Labour Party in its history. She is also the second female leader of the party after Helen Clark.

In mid-August 2017, Ardern stated that a Labour government would establish a tax working group to explore the possibility of introducing a capital gains tax but ruled out taxing family homes. In response to negative publicity, Ardern abandoned plans to introduce a capital gains tax during the first term of a Labour government.

In September 2017, Musk arranged a contract with the government of South Australia for Tesla Energy to install what would then be the world's largest lithium-ion battery pack, to help alleviate energy blackouts in the state. Musk arranged this on Twitter, with the guarantee that it would be installed in 100 days or would be free. This deadline was achieved and the resulting battery exceeded expected performance and returns, despite skepticism from Australian federal politicians.

On 19 October 2017, New Zealand First leader Winston Peters agreed to form a coalition with Labour, making Ardern the next prime minister. This coalition receives confidence and supply from the Green Party. Ardern named Peters as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs. She also gave New Zealand First five posts in her government, with Peters and three other ministers serving in Cabinet.

she was sworn in by the Governor-General on 26 October 2017. She became the world's youngest female head of government at age 37.

Swearing-in of the Cabinet on 26 October 2017

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On 5 November 2017, Ardern made her first official overseas trip to Australia, where she met Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull for the first time.

On 2 February 2018, Ardern traveled to Waitangi for the annual Waitangi Day commemoration; she stayed in Waitangi for five days, an unprecedented length. Ardern became the first female prime minister to speak from the top marae. Her visit was largely well-received by Māori leaders, with commentators noting a sharp contrast with the acrimonious responses received by several of her predecessors.

In May 2018, the government of Papua New Guinea announced that it would ban Facebook for a month while it considered the impact of the website on the country, though no ban has since occurred.

On 19 January 2018, Ardern announced that she was pregnant and that Winston Peters would take the role of acting prime minister for six weeks after the birth. Following the birth of a daughter, she took her maternity leave from 21 June to 2 August 2018.

In July 2018, Ardern announced the start of her government's flagship Families Package. Among its provisions, the package gradually increased paid parental leave to 26 weeks and paid $60-a-week to low and middle-income families with young children.

The Duchess takes part in her husband's work as a youth ambassador to the Commonwealth, which includes overseas tours. The first such trip was to Australia, Fiji, Tonga, and New Zealand in October 2018. Despite public debate on the future of the monarchy in Australia, the couple was greeted by crowds in Sydney, and the announcement of the Duchess's pregnancy hours after their arrival was received enthusiastically by the public and media.

On 15 March 2019, 51 people were fatally shot and 49 injured in two mosques in Christchurch. In a statement broadcast on television, Ardern offered condolences and stated that the shootings had been carried out by suspects with "extremist views" that have no place in New Zealand, or anywhere else in the world. She also described it as a well-planned terrorist attack.

Ardern visits members of the Muslim community

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In March 2019, the perpetrator of the Christchurch mosque shootings in New Zealand used Facebook to stream live footage of the attack as it unfolded. Facebook took 29 minutes to detect the livestreamed video, which was eight minutes longer than it took police to arrest the gunman. About 1.3M copies of the video were blocked from Facebook but 300,000 copies were published and shared.

Kenin opened the 2020 seasons by playing the Premier-level events at Brisbane and Adelaide, falling in the second round of both tournaments to Osaka and compatriot Danielle Collins respectively. She also played doubles with Mattek-Sands in Adelaide, but the pair fell in the semifinals to the eventual champions Nicole Melichar and Xu Yifan. Seeded 14th at the Australian Open, Kenin recorded straight-set wins over qualifiers Martina Trevisan and compatriot Ann Li to reach the third round for the first time. She then overcame a double break deficit in the first set to defeat 2016 quarterfinalist Zhang Shuai and advance to the fourth round, where she defeated Coco Gauff to reach the quarterfinals. Kenin went on to defeat Ons Jabeur in straight sets, advancing to her first semifinal at a Grand Slam championship. She then defeated the top seed Ashleigh Barty in straight sets to reach the final, where she defeated Garbiñe Muguruza in three sets to claim the trophy. Eventually, she entered the Top ten worldwide by ranking 7th on Feb 3, 2020.

On 12, March 2020, Tom Hanks announced that both he and his wife have tested positive on his Instagram account. It's reported that they got infected while filming a movie in Australia

On 14 March 2020, Ardern announced in response to the COVID-19 pandemic in New Zealand that the government would be requiring anyone entering the country from midnight 15 March to isolate themselves for 14 days. She said the new rules will mean New Zealand has the "widest ranging and toughest border restrictions of any country in the world". On 19 March, Ardern stated that New Zealand's borders would be closed to all non-citizens and non-permanent residents, after 11:59 pm on 20 March (NZDT). Ardern announced that New Zealand would move to alert level 4, including a nationwide lockdown, at 11:59 pm on 25 March

On 19 March, Ardern stated that New Zealand's borders would be closed to all non-citizens and non-permanent residents, after 11:59 pm on 20 March (NZDT). Ardern announced that New Zealand would move to alert level 4, including a nationwide lockdown, at 11:59 pm on 25 March.