Anniversaries and commemorations come and go daily. Most of us, even the best historians, miss most occasions. If we think of history as events then we are faced with a continually showering in the grains of sand. Nevertheless, we do pick out certain patterns in the remembrance of historical dates. The blog here reminds us of some dates where the local, state, national, and global perspectives entwine.
What Time is It? It is flow of a sandstorm that will on each day compress somewhere into a structure – sandstone, selected and only remembered in the longue durée.
On 20 June 1895, The Kiel Canal, connecting the North Sea to the Baltic across the base of the Jutland peninsula in Germany, is officially opened.
On 20 June 1895, The Treaty of Amapala establishes the union of Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador (which ends in 1898).
On Monday, 20 June 1960, The short-lived Mali Federation, consisting of the Sudanese Republic (modern-day Republic of Mali) and Senegal, gains independence from France.
On Friday, 20 June 1980, Augusta AVA becomes the first federally recognized American Viticultural Area.
On Wednesday, 20 June 1990, The Victorian Government is humiliated following the downgrading of the State’s credit rating by Moody Investor Services.
On Wednesday, 20 June 1990, The first legal brothel opens in Melbourne’s Central Business District.
On Tuesday, 20 June 1995, The Federal Labor Caucus selects Kim Beazley to replace Brian Howe who unexpectedly stepped down as deputy leader.
On Saturday, 20 June 2015, The USS George Washington visits Queensland for biennial war games with the Australian Navy, known as Exercise Talisman Sabre.
Images Citations in Composite: ID 17208541 © Anhong | Dreamstime.com; ID 35001957 © DiversityStudio1 | Dreamstime.com; ID 156394527 © Gerd Zahn | Dreamstime.com
Neville Buch