- On this day in 1951. Geoffrey Rush celebrates his birthday today. He was born in Toowoomba, Australia. He has stared in movie’s such as Shine (1996), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Pirates of the Caribbean, The King’s Speech and The Eye of the Storm (2011).
- On this day in 1560. The Treaty of Edinburgh is signed by Scotland and England.
- On this day in 1942. Anne Frank and her family take refuge in a secret sealed-off area of an Amsterdam warehouse to escape being sent to Nazi concentration camps. In 1944 the Nazi Gestapo discovered the hiding place and the family was shipped off to a concentration camp, Anne Frank died in 1945 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in Germany of typhus.
- On this day in 1943. The last of the heavy Japanese bombing attacks on Darwin occurs, though less serious attacks continue. The first of an estimated 64 air raids against Darwin during 1942 – 1943 occurred on 19 February 1942. At least 243 civilians and military personnel were killed, not counting the indigenous Australians whose deaths were not counted, as the Japanese launched 2 waves of planes comprising 242 bombers and fighters. Three more minor attacks were carried out in August. The final attack on Australian soil occurred on 12 November 1943.
Please feel free to add your piece of history (something personal or general history).
Geoffrey Rush at the 2011 Cannes film festival (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The explosion of an oil storage tank and clouds of smoke from other tanks, hit during the first Japanese air raid on Australia’s mainland, at Darwin on February 19, 1942. In the foreground is HMAS Deloraine, which escaped damage. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Bombing of Darwin plaque outside Government House on the Esplanade. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Add Your Piece of History 
There’s a couple of connections for you in there, 09history! The Geoffrey Rush one and also the Darwin one. Uncle Reg was in Darwin during the bombings. Do you remember, he always used to say one of his hands shook because he had it up on the edge of the bomb shelter when a bomb went of close by? Not sure if that would be the reason his hand shook but that’s what he always said, funny huh.
Awwww I don’t remember that, but I wish I did. Poor Uncle Reggie xx.
Tremendous you know most Australian students during the 50’s and 60’s were not taught how much Darwin was actually bombed at school. Great post
Thank you so much Barbara! I’m not sure if I just wasn’t listening in school (sorry Mum) but I don’t remember learning about the Darwin bombings until we travelled and spent time in Darwin. We loved Darwin and learning all about the history, and taking the tour of the oil tunnels and eating Buffalo Burgers on the Wharf!