19 July Australian History

1770 The Guugu Yimithirr people and Captain James Cook clashed over a dozen sea turtles that Cook's party caught for food near present-day Cooktown. Later, an Elder approached Cook, offering a broken spear as a gesture of reconciliation and the two parties settled their dispute.
The National Trust of Australia nominated the event as Australia's first documented act of reconciliation. The area where the two parties met is now known as Reconciliation Rocks.

Reconciliation Rocks.

1814 Matthew Flinders, the flute-playing, cat-loving map maker bloke (who probably came back as a long haired herbily enhanced hippie in the 1960s) dropped off the perch today, a mere 24 hours after his book was in print.

Following the rediscovery of his coffin during the HS2 excavations near London's Euston Station in 2019, today in 2024 he will be reinterred in his home village of Donington in Lincolnshire.

1873 Uluru was sitting in the sun, minding its own business when William Gosse eyeballed in a lascivious way and declared it to be Ayres Rock.

Hmph, rock my arse.
Uluru has always been called Uluru by the Anangu people. But it got renamed by that bloke who decided to add insult to injury by becoming the first known European to climb Uluru.

It was named, promoted, advertised all over the world as "Ayers Rock" until 1993, when it was baptised with the dual name Ayers Rock/Uluru. In 2002, the names were reversed, and is now known as Uluru/Ayers Rock.
BTW - Gosse named it after a politician/business bloke Sir Henry Ayers.

1958 The last tramline to be kicked to the kerb in Perth  (Western Australia) was the Inglewood Tram Line, which was replaced by trolley buses, but the final tram ran that evening.

1959 The railway line from Somerton to Upfield (Victoria) was reopened for Goods (freight) traffic for the brand-spanking-new Ford Motor Company.

1960 Australia's first aircraft hijacking took place today over Brisbane on the last Sydney-Brisbane flight for the day.

1965 UFO landed on Vaucluse Beach.

1989 After a series of mergers of regional educational institutions in NSW Charles Sturt University was officially incorporated today.

Magnet fishers Peaky Dippers UK and Sash window weights

 Yep, I've become addicted to these dedicated History Hunters.

Today's video features some of my fav mudlarks, Nicola White and Si Finds, as well as sash window weights.

Now, what the effing heck are people tossing sash weights into the Thames for?
It's not like we're talking one or 3, it's a regular thing they find. 
Hefty sash weights.
Boat anchors? Fishing weights? How big are the pike?! 
Is there a secret society of frustrated window hangers collecting their weights each week and merrily tossing them into the Thames under cover of darkness?
And flat irons are another that are often found in the river.
Now I CAN picture London Suffragettes lining the waterway and, with gay abandon, happily shot-putting their 4-letter word into the drink.

The King of Iceland, founder of Hobart, Jorgen Jorgensen 29 March 1780 – 20 January 1841

 Jorgen Jorgensen was talented in many ways; sailor, spy, seditionist and silly bugger.

He was present at the foundation of Hobart, witnessed the Battle of Copenhagen, arrested the Danish Governor of Iceland then declared himself the Protector of Iceland - which lasted barely 2 months before he was voted off the island and back to England.

He managed to get employed by the British Intelligence Service where he translated documents and wandered about as a spy during the Napoleonic Wars, but then ran into a little trouble where he was accused of theft and voted back to an island , Tasmania.

The Convict King is immortalised in stone relief on the beautiful Ross Bridge with his crown.

Further reading -

Jørgen Jørgensen: The Convict King