On this day in?

1969 - 08 August

A police officer held up traffic while The Beatles walked across Abbey Road for the iconic album cover. Photograher Iain McMillan, standing on a step ladder in the middle of the road, was given 10 minutes and managed to snap six shots.

1970

On 13 November, the Bhola Cyclone hit the densely populated Ganges Delta region in eastern Pakistan (now Bangladesh), with winds of up to 240km/hr.

Anywhere between 300,000 and 500,000 people are estimated to have died in little more than a night after the cyclone made landfall on 12 November.

1995

A financial whiz-kid whose losses on global markets toppled one of Britain's oldest merchant banks was jailed on 02 December, 1995.

While working at the Singapore office of Barings Bank, Nick Leeson, 28, made fraudulent, unauthorised and increasingly reckless trades. His high-risk strategy culminated in a $US1.3 billion ($2 billion) investment on bond derivatives that sent Barings broke.

The financial institution had been founded in 1762, and among its respected clients were the British royal family.

1967

Harold Holt thought a nice cooling swim would work wonders.

He was PM from 26 January 1966 to 19 December 1967, when he was officially pronounced dead after drowning ...

Dona Ferentes said:

1967

Harold Holt thought a nice cooling swim would work wonders.

He was PM from 26 January 1966 to 19 December 1967, when he was officially pronounced dead after drowning ...

Click to expand...

Never to be seen again.

1915

The last Australian troops retreated from Gallipoli on 20 December

1926

The "fifth Beatle", George Martin was born

died 2016

1975

On the evening of 5 January 1975, the bulk carrier Lake Illawarra collided with several pylons of the Tasman Bridge and caused a large section of the bridge deck to collapse onto the ship and into the river below. Twelve people were killed, including seven crew on board Lake Illawarra, and the five occupants of four cars which fell 45 metres (150 ft) after driving off the bridge. Hobart was cut off from its eastern suburbs, and the loss of the road connection had a major social impact

1975

(..a day or 2 late, blame on the International Date Line)

"Blood on the Tracks" by Bob Dylan was released. 20 Jan

He then went back on the road, with The Rolling Thunder Revue. Although in n Martin Scorsese’s Netflix documentary on the tour, Dylan said, " [That] happened so long ago, I wasn’t even born.”

1967

The forecast was for temperature in the mid-30's, a hot day for Tassie. School was to start the next day, and our visiting uncle took us all to Clifton beach. We went early, as a sea breeze can come through and wreck the day, too often.

A bit after midday, the Northerly wind was picking up and no sign of a cooling SE breeze. It was hot, and the sky was darkening. Mum voiced concerns and we reluctantly packed up and headed back to Hobart. By the time we got to Lauderdale, the wind was ripping across the bay, we could see and taste smoke. We pushed on and, coming over the rise into Rokeby, the hills ahead were aflame. Up Glebe hill, houses were alight and telegraph poles had fallen across the road after being burnt. Uncle gingerly steered a path through. At Pass Road, we entered a vortex of swirling embers and thick acrid smoke. The entire valley was blackened.

We crossed the Tasman bridge, the western side of the Derwent was hidden in smoke. We hadn't seen police anywhere, cars drove with headlights on, radio stations had stopped as their tramitters burnt down, and it was hot. The official temp was 42.7°C but in a howling wind it felt like an oven. The Derwent Valley, the slopes of Mount Wellington and the Channel took the brunt of the bushfire; it was said the firefront travelled 60km in one hour.

Next day, we went to school . Lyn Bradshaw was not in uniform as she'd lost everything. Three days later, we went to Ferntree to help a family friend who'd lost his home. Coming into the last bend, everything was totally burnt. The air was still and it rained ash ; everything was black or grey. Driveways led to brick rubble and twisted metal.

1945

Though the exact dates are unknown, but for probate, Anne Frank’s date of death was recorded as 31 March 1945. Subsequent reports suggest she may have died earlier. Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was liberated on the 15th of April.

1975

Today is the 50th anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's entry into Phnom Penh.

During the nearly four years of their rule, about 2 million people were killed in Cambodia (their remains were found in mass graves across the country).


Coincidentally, the first official state visit to Cambodia by Chinese leader Xi Jinping has begun.

1967

Are You Experienced is the debut studio album by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in May 1967. The album was an immediate critical and commercial success, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest albums of all time.