The Sydney Harbour Bridge is opened

The Sydney Harbour Bridge, one of Australia’s most iconic landmarks, is a massive steel arch bridge that spans Sydney Harbour, connecting the central business district (CBD) with the North Shore. Opened on March 19, 1932, it remains the world’s largest steel arch bridge, stretching 1,149 meters (3,770 feet) with an impressive arch rising 134 meters (440 feet) above the water. Designed by John Bradfield, the bridge supports road traffic, trains, pedestrians, and cyclists, making it a crucial transport link in Sydney. Often nicknamed the “Coathanger” due to its distinctive arch shape, it offers breathtaking views of the harbour and the Sydney Opera House, especially from the BridgeClimb, an adventure that lets visitors ascend to the top. Beyond its engineering marvel, the bridge is a cultural symbol, famously illuminated during events like New Year’s Eve fireworks, drawing millions of spectators worldwide.

The First Taranaki War ends in New Zealand.

The First Taranaki War was a significant conflict that occurred in New Zealand during the 19th century, specifically from March 1860 to March 1861. It was one of the conflicts collectively known as the New Zealand Wars, which were fought between indigenous M?ori tribes and the colonial government, primarily over issues of land ownership, sovereignty, and the imposition of British rule.

The immediate cause of the First Taranaki War was the dispute over land sales in the Taranaki region on the North Island of New Zealand. The New Zealand Company, a British organization involved in the colonization of New Zealand, had purchased large tracts of land in Taranaki from M?ori tribes. However, many M?ori disputed the legitimacy of these transactions, leading to tensions and conflicts.

The outbreak of violence occurred when the colonial government attempted to survey and sell land near the town of New Plymouth, which had been established by European settlers. M?ori tribes, particularly the Ng?ti Maniapoto and Taranaki tribes led by chiefs such as Wiremu K?ngi Te Rangit?ke (also known as William King), resisted these efforts. They erected a p? (fortified village) called P?k?k? to defend their territory.

The conflict involved skirmishes and battles between M?ori warriors and British troops, as well as local militia forces consisting of European settlers. Both sides suffered casualties during the fighting. The British military, equipped with superior weaponry and technology, initially had the advantage, but they faced challenges in navigating the difficult terrain and the guerilla tactics employed by the M?ori.

The war resulted in significant disruption to the region, with widespread destruction of property and displacement of both M?ori and European settlers. It also strained relations between M?ori and the colonial government, exacerbating existing grievances over land confiscations and breaches of the Treaty of Waitangi, which had been signed in 1840 between the British Crown and various M?ori chiefs.

The First Taranaki War ended in a stalemate, with neither side achieving a decisive victory. In March 1861, a ceasefire was agreed upon, but tensions in the region continued, and sporadic violence erupted in the following years. The issues underlying the conflict, particularly land disputes and grievances over colonization, remained unresolved, setting the stage for further conflicts in the years to come.

The First Taranaki War ends in New Zealand.

The First Taranaki War was a conflict fought between the M?ori people of the Taranaki region in New Zealand and the British colonial government in the early 1860s. The war began in March 1860 and lasted until March 1861.

The immediate cause of the war was a dispute over the sale of land in Waitara, a small town in Taranaki. The M?ori chief, Wiremu Kingi Te Rangitake, claimed that the sale of the land was invalid because he had not given his consent. The British government, on the other hand, argued that the sale was legal and proceeded to establish a military garrison on the land.

The M?ori responded by building fortifications around the town and refusing to allow the British soldiers to leave their garrison. Tensions escalated, and in July 1860, fighting broke out between the two sides. The conflict quickly spread to other parts of Taranaki, with both sides suffering casualties.

The British government eventually sent more troops to the region, and in March 1861, they succeeded in taking control of Waitara. However, the war did not completely end, and sporadic fighting continued in the region for several years.

A series of bombings and shootings kills at least 98 people and injures 240 others across Iraq.

The last male northern white rhinoceros, Sudan, dies, ensuring a chance of extinction for the species.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is opened.

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The First Taranaki War ends in New Zealand.

On 19 March 1861, the First Taranaki War, between the New Zealand government and the indigenous Maori, ended in a tense cease-fire.

Some 2.4 square kilometres of land lay at the heart of the war. Ignoring a “solemn contract” by the local Maori not to sell, and rebuffing a similar order by a paramount Maori chief, minor Maori chief Te Atiawa iwi sold a parcel of land known as the Pekapeka block to the British. Knowing the full circumstances of the offer, including the Maoris attempts to stop the sale, British colonial administrator Governor Thomas Gore Browne accepted the purchase, a move that angered the Maori chiefs.

When British surveyors were sent to survey and occupy the land, anticipating conflict, the Maoris threw them out. Furious, Governor Browne demanded an apology and swift removal from the land. The Maori refused. Instead, they built a defensive just inside the block of disputed land. Incensed and determined to impress British sovereignty upon the indigenous Maori, the British Army on New Zealand’s North Island prepared for war.

On 17 March 1860, the British Army marched from New Plymouth to the Maori defensive of Pa at Te Kohia and opened fire, commencing the First Taranaki War. The war lasted one year, with early losses for the British troops, who quickly bolstered their thin forces with troops from Australia. Wielding firepower, including two 10-kilogram howitzers, the British engaged in a series of battles with the Maori, hoping to blitz their way into a decisive victory that would cripple the Maori and assert British sovereignty.

Able warriors, the Maori had built an L-shaped pa, or defensive hill fort, covered trenches, and anti-artillery bunkers that, combined, resisted the British blitz. Through the Battles of Te Kohia, Waireka, and Puketakauere, the hostilities continued. Finally, after one long year of fighting, hundreds of casualties, economic hardship, environmental destruction, and growing doubt on both sides whether the war could be won, the First Taranaki War ended in an uneasy ceasefire on 19 March 1861.

On the British side, some 238 of the army’s 3,500 troops had died. Maori casualties reached some 200, though the proportion of dead was much higher. Though the British claimed they had won the war, it was widely viewed as a humiliating defeat for the great colonial force whose aim was to crush and impose sovereignty over the Maori. Eventually, the uneasy truce would lead to the invasion of Waikato and subsequent Taranaki Wars.

Today, the Taranaki Wars are viewed as a sad and exploitative chapter in New Zealand’s history. In 1996, a Waitangi Tribunal found that the war was started by the British colonial government, which was deemed an aggressor that launched an unlawful attack. Long after their homelands were confiscated, the Waikato Tainui people received a compensation of some $171 million NZD from the New Zealand government in 1995, along with the return of some land.

The Algerian War of Independence ends.

The Secret Army Organization was founded in 1961 as a response to General De Gaulle’s speech on Algeria’s right to self determination. It was formed by a group of pied noirs that called themselves “counter-terrorists” and had carried out attacks against the F.L.N since early in the war. By acts of sabotage and assassination in France and French Algerian territories, the O.A.S attempted to prevent Algerian Independence. On September 1961 the O.A.S attempted to assassinate De Gaulle but failed.

Despite the O.A.S attempts to stall and prevent Independence, Evian peace talks were held on March 7th between the F.L.N’s provisional government and De Gualle. The Evian Agreement was signed on March 18, 1962, and a cease fire was called on the 19th . It was also agreed Algeria would be able to vote for its future Independence on 1st of July.

Now desperate on saving “French Algeria”, the O.A.S reacted more violently than ever. The three months between the cease fire and the day of Independence the O.A.S unleashed a series of attacks. Their hope was that these attacks would to force the F.L.N to abandon cease fire therefore revoking any agreement between the F.L.N and the French government. In April they raided Muslim hospitals in Algiers, killing ten patients in their beds and wounding seven others. On the 3rd of May they filled a truck with explosives and killed 62 Muslims and wounded 110. On May 10th thirty Muslim women were killed in the streets of Oran and Algiers. Other actions included blowing up part of the library of the University of Algiers and the assassination of a famous Berber writer. Despite the O.A.S’s violent provocations, the F.L.N did not retaliate and kept the cease fire agreement. In June 1962 a cease fire was agreed between the O.A.S and the F.L.N.

The Sydney Harbour Bridge is opened to traffic.