Memories of devastating 1955 Maitland floods live on
The Maitland floods of 1955 took a huge toll on lives and property, like 21 houses on one street washing downstream and fell apart. But there were also amazing stories of survival.
Today In History
Mortuary train took dead bodies to final burial place
From 1867 to 1938, the richest Sydney residents along with the poorest were taken to be buried the same way — by a special train to Rookwood Cemetery.
Acting triumph of the other Richard Burton
It was a great acting triumph, Richard Burton acted the part of a pilgrim on the way to Mecca so that he could write about what he saw. Not Burton the Welsh actor but Burton the 19th century linguist and adventurer
Newtown housewife who used poison to kill two husbands
When Yvonne Fletcher’s second husband died in a similar manner to her first, police soon discovered the reason why — poison — which sparked a surge of copycat cases, predominantly by Sydney housewives.
More Stories
World’s largest village took on neo-Nazi haters
When Neo-Nazis tried to hold a march through the predominantly Jewish community of Skokie, the normally quiet village made the news around the world
Extraordinary legacy of an ordinary man
The roughly typed manuscript tied up with string didn’t promise much but it delivered a small publisher a bestseller
Unsung vaccination hero saved millions of lives
When Dr Maurice Hilleman read about a flu outbreak in Hong Kong in 1957 he sounded the alarm about a coming pandemic
Proud Zulu nation ended with fall of defiant king
As long as King Cetshwayo remained at large there was still a chance of resistance from the Zulu nation but the British finally got their man 140 years ago today
Spies put atomic bomb in hands of the Soviets
When the Soviets successfully tested their first atomic bomb 70 years ago today it sent seismic and political shockwaves around the world
Real-life crime of passion inspired Chicago the musical
When Beulah Annan shot dead her lover in 1924 she could never have imagined the act would make her the basis of a character in a hit musical
Fuel crisis inspired Mini classic with a big heart
It was a little car designed to appeal to consumers during a fuel crisis, but the Mini Minor went on to be a major force in motoring
Pioneer private eye had own brush with the law
He changed the way criminals were caught but Allan Pinkerton had his own brushes with the authorities
Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/today-in-history/page/8