January 26, 1788
The first 736 convicts banished from England to Australia landed in Botany Bay. Over the next 60 years, approximately 50,000 criminals were transported from Great Britain.
January 26, 1972
In response to the Australian Government’s refusal to recognize Aboriginal land rights, four men arrived in Canberra from Sydney to establish the Aboriginal Tent Embassy by planting a beach umbrella on the lawn in front of Parliament House. The Embassy succeeded in uniting Aboriginal people throughout Australia in demanding uniform national land rights and mobilized widespread non-indigenous support for their struggle. In July 1972, police moved in, removed the tents and arrested eight people. In October 1973, around 70 Aboriginal protesters staged a sit-in on the steps of Parliament House and the Tent Embassy was re-established. The sit-in ended when the Prime Minister agreed to meet with protesters. On the twentieth anniversary of its founding, the Aboriginal Tent Embassy was re-established on the lawns of Old Parliament House; it has existed on the site since that time. in 1995 the site of the Tent Embassy was added to the Australian Register of the National Estate as the only Aboriginal site in Australia that is recognized nationally as a site representing political struggle for all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Pop Quiz: What famous San Antonian is a Torres Strait Islander? Answer: Patty Mills!
