Today in history
A series where we guide you to references within our archival collection to past events.
This is a work in progress.
January 1
On this day in 1810 Major General Lachlan Macquarie was sworn in as Governor.
- See the online gallery Lachlan Macquarie: visionary and builder
January 9
On this day in 1868 the last convicts were transported to Western Australia on the Hougoumont and convict transportation to Australia ceased.
- See our Convict records webpage
January 18-19
On this day/s in 1788 the First Fleet arrived at Botany Bay. It's unsuitability led Phillip to search for another site.
January 26
On this day in 1788 the rest of the fleet sailed into Sydney and the British flag was raised. The position of Secretary to the Governor was created.
- See information about the Secretary to the Governor
- Read a history of the Colonial Secretary's office
February 7
On this day in 1788, the Governor's Commission was read at an official ceremony, and this date marks the effective commencement of the Colony of New South Wales.
(from Organisation 1, State of New South Wales)
February 11
On this day in 1788 the Court of Criminal Jurisdiction sat for the first time.
- See the Index to Criminal Court records, 1788-1833
- See more about the Supreme Court in Archives in Brief 31
February 20
On this day in 1794 possibly the first grant of land was given to a woman - Ellenor Frazer. One of the responsibilities entrusted to Arthur Phillip as the first Governor of New South Wales was the power to grant land. The first land was granted in 1791.
- For further information about land grants see Short Guide 8
- To read about records relating to women see our Women in the records gateway
March 3
On this day in 1818 Charles Throsby, along with James Meehan and Hamilton Hume set out to find an overland route from Sydney to Jervis Bay.
March 4
On this day in 1804 the Castle Hill convict rebellion started.
March 9
On this day in 1870 Granny Smith died.
March 10
On this day in 1794 Reverand Samuel Marsden arrived in the Colony of NSW.
March 19
On this day in 1895, George Dean, a ferry captain, was charged with administering poison to his wife, with intent to kill her. Found guilty, then granted a free pardon, his lawyer later admitted that he was, in fact, guilty. This murder case has continued to capture the public interest. On 26 February 1983 the ABC television broadcast a dramatisation of the events in Verdict: The Dean Case.
March 24
On this day in 1900 began the cleansing operations in Sydney to wipe the city clean of the Bubonic Plague. The cleansing of the city also included the demolition of 'slum' buildings. The plague, which hit the city in January 1900, killed 103 people within eight months.
- See images of the cleansing operation, including a pile of dead rats!
- View the images on our Flickr photostream
March 30
On this day in 1791 James Ruse, an ex-convict, was given the first land grant.
April 1
On this day in 1857 the Fitzjames arrived in Sydney. Matron Susan Austen was chaperone to 98 single females onboard the ship. She kept a diary of the voyage and it records the dramas which unfolded; tantrums, thefts and insults!
April 21
On this day in 1853 the Duchess of Northumberland the last convict transport carrying female convicts arrived in Hobart.
- See our Convict records webpage
May 26
On this day in 1853 the St Vincent transports the last convicts to Van Diemen's Land.
- See our Convict records webpage
June 3
On this day in 1790 the Lady Juliana, convict transport ship, arrives into Port Jackson.
- See our Convict records webpage
June 10
On this day in 1838 a massacre of 28 Aboriginal people occurred at Myall Creek near Inverell. Some of the perpetrators were convicts. This was the first time white men were hanged for crimes against Aboriginal people.
- See the Guide to State Archives relating to Aboriginal people for more information
- See also the Indigenous Communities webpage
- See also resources relating to Aboriginal women and children
June 18
On this day in 1829 the new colony of Western Australia was proclaimed.
July 1
On this day in 1851 Victoria separated from New South Wales.
July 14
On this day in 1825 Van Diemen's Land was separated from New South Wales by an Order-in Council.
- See the Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1825 for more about Van Diemen's Land
- See also Short Guide 12 - Muster and census records
July 28
On this day in 1923 construction began on the Sydney Harbour Bridge. The contractors set up two workshops at Milson's Point on the North Shore where the steel was fabricated into girders. The granite for the pylons was quarried near Moruya, where about 250 workers and their families lived in a temporary settlement. Premier Jack Lang opened the Harbour Bridge on the 19 March, 1932.
- See Archives in Brief 37 for a brief history of the Sydney Harbour Bridge and Archives in Brief 38 for records we hold
- Photo Investigator has images of the bridge, including its construction and the official opening
August 13
On this day in 1806 Captain William Bligh became Governor.
Description from the Colonial Secretary's Papers: "Governor of New South Wales, 13 August 1806 until arrest 26 January 1808; in confinement in Sydney following Rum Rebellion, January 1808 to March 1809; at the Derwent, March 1809 to January 1810; returned to Sydney, January to May 1810; sailed for England 12 May 1810."
August 20
This Thursday in 1908 saw the arrival of the United States of America fleet at Port Jackson, Sydney. This was part of a round the world cruise by the fleet which had originally set out on 16 December 1907. The sixteen warships were painted white to denote peace. They would be known as The Great White Fleet.
September 24
On this day in 1857 a mass funeral was held for those who died and who, in most cases, could not be identified from the shipwreck of the Dunbar on 20 August 1857.
The interments took place at St. Stephen's Cemetery, Camperdown where there is still a monument to the victims.
October 11
On this day in 1899 the war between the British and the two Dutch South African republics — the Boer War — started when the Boers declared war on the British. It lasted until 31 May 1902 when Lord Kitchener and General Botha signed the peace treaty — the Peace of Vereeniging — ending the war.
- See further information relating to records held on the Boer War in Archives in Brief 27
October 20
Anniversary of the official opening of the Sydney Opera House in 1973.
- Read a brief history of the Sydney Opera House
- See what types of records we hold relating to the planning, construction and opening of the Sydney Opera House.
November 11
Ned Kelly, Australian bushranger, was hanged in 1880.
We received some estrays relating to the capture of Ned Kelly and his gang in 2002 and 2003.
- View the digital versions of these records
