Gallipoli to D-Day: Aussie’s epic war story
George Dixon went ashore with the original Anzacs at Gallipoli, aged just 15 – and was shot. Three decades later he was fighting again, at history’s other most famous wartime landing.
Today In History
Love story behind escape tragedy
An Australian murdered in the infamous wartime Great Escape died after swapping places with another man. And his story is still unfolding, 80 years on.
Inside astonishing Darwin bombing story
Extraordinary footage captured on a smuggled camera tells a new story of the bombing of Darwin 81 years later.
Holocaust survivor’s greatest life lessons
To celebrate his 100th birthday, Melbourne Holocaust survivor Phillip Maisel has revealed his 11 pearls of wisdom.
Lunchtime jewel heist which rocked Sydney’s CBD
In what was considered the biggest jewellery heist of the first half of the 20th century, in 1947 a thief managed to steal jewels worth about $600k today. But his glory was short-lived.
Guyra Ghost of 1921 still remains a mystery
As Sherlock Holmes and spiritualism became popular, a ghostly case in the NSW town of Guyra led to hysteria spreading throughout Australia.
How war led to an escape to the Mountains
Terrified by the prospect of a Japanese invasion, Sydneysiders fled inland to places like the Blue Mountains at the start of World War II.
Sydney’s forgotten ‘Cocaine Queen’
A witness to one of Sydney’s oldest cold cases, madam May Smith, was later arrested by our first female detective. She was jailed and then disappeared from public records — and from memory.
Convict Artisans in Exile: Colony’s crafty criminals
A new exhibition shines a spotlight on the incredible, and usually unsung, talents of our convict artisans whose valuable skills helped forge a new society.
How Sydney sisters changed the Aussie film industry
Three Sydney sisters who had no training in film production made a silent film so well received in 1926, they turned a corner of Sydney’s inner west into our version of Hollywood.
Last man executed in NSW
John Kelly was sent to the gallows in 1939 for murder, a decision his father labelled as “class justice”, claiming his son would have lived if the murder victim wasn’t from a prominent family.
How Sydney model was acquitted of lover’s murder
It had sex and crime … little wonder 1950s Sydney was fascinated by the trial of model Shirley Beiger, accused of shooting dead her lover outside a popular Sydney nightclub.
Opening of Sydney Arcade changes retail history
This city was a long way behind Melbourne when it came to embracing the joys of retail therapy where shoppers could find everything they wanted under one roof.
Model of a modern garden suburb
They are now some of our most sought-after addresses across Sydney thanks to planners’ forward thinking in designing these garden suburbs.
How Australia Day started as a fundraiser in July
A woman who created Australia Day as a fundraiser in midst of World War I started a popular tradition which benefited our soldiers on the battlefront.
Myth buster: Australian history debunked
They are the stories Australians hold dear. But many are simply not true. We take a look at some moments in history including whether Ned Kelly was a freedom fighter or if Captain Cook ‘discovered’ Australia.
How Hyde Park replaced Aboriginal ceremonial ground
When Sydney’s Hyde Park began life as a racecourse, its role in a significant Aboriginal tradition was lost.
How First Fleet’s forgotten men helped shape a nation
From the carnage of Gallipoli to the Test cricket arena, the descendants of 10 African First Fleeters have played pivotal, but often overlooked, roles in our history.
When ice used to be a rare, expensive commodity
Once a luxury only the rich could afford, blocks of ice used to be shipped to Australia from America — until we discovered a way to manufacture it on our own. Plus more NSW history.
Sordid truth behind Blue Mountains’ teen ghost
Said to appear to travellers on the road to Lithgow, Caroline Collits knew little but neglect and abuse in her tragically short life. Here’s the story behind her haunting.
Diving ‘child wonder’ kept tragedy to himself
From childhood Arthur O’Connor was fearless on the high-diving board but a traumatic family loss was something he rarely spoke about.
Why Maccas catered Aussie menu to local tastes
While many derided the fast food chain for Americanising our food, the original McDonald’s menu was designed to please local palates.
Brazen attempt to rob gravediggers’ pay at cemetery
As gravediggers toiled in the mud to exhume the bodies of American servicemen killed during World War II for relocation to the US, a brazen robbery was being plotted.
Truth behind colonial naming of Manly
The real meaning of this beachside suburb’s name is often misinterpreted but can be dated back to when Governor Arthur Phillip arrived to Australia in 1788.
Sad truth behind legend of star soprano’s no show
Few realised what was really going on behind the scenes the night a brave young chorus girl stepped up to save the night for Sydney opera fans.
Convicts chased freedom from Tasmania to China
When the transport ship Cyprus was becalmed at Recherche Bay in Van Diemen’s Land a group of convicts decided their chance of freedom had arrived
Woodstock defied chaos to define its generation
The town of Bethel had never seen so many people but it became the setting for a generation defining moment in rock history
Master of thrillers had a lifelong fear of police
When an advertising man took a punt on a job at a film studio he took the first step to becoming one of Hollywood’s greatest film directors
Peace Regatta a sweet victory for our Diggers
One minute the men were fighting for their lives in the blasted battlefields of World War I. Th e next they were rowing to victory between the soft green banks of the River Thames
Fender guitar creator could not play a note
The Fender guitar is the instrument of choice for many guitarists, but the man who created it was unable to play his own instrument
Manson set on path to murder in childhood
A scruffy bearded cult leader turned from petty crime to murder based on his strange ideas about a global race war
Alice steered her crew into legend on epic drive
Today it would be considered a merry jaunt but 110 years ago when Alice Huyler Ramsey arrived in San Francisco, it had been an epic journey from New York by car
Beatles strode out of studio and into legend
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr walked out of their studio and into one of pop music’s most recognised images
Standover man murdered at rival gang’s party
When a well-dressed man crashed a party in Darlinghurst it ended in a gunfight which ended the life of notorious gangster Guido Calletti
Colonial piano scaled Blue Mountains to new home
A piano brought to Sydney in 1843 is a star attraction of a new exhibition opening in Sydney this week
Real-life Croc Dundee died in police gunfight
When a drug-addled bushman shot dead a police officer in 1999 it brought to an end the colourful life of the man who inspired Crocodile Dundee
‘Solitary child’ became the Prince of Broadway
When no Broadway producer wanted to touch a musical about gang wars in New York, Harold Prince stepped up to make West Side Story a classic
Cannibalism horror inspired whale epic
A real-life fatal encounter between a whale and a ship inspired one of literature’s greatest adventures
Little Prince author’s death one of WWII’s great aviation mysteries
When a Lockheed Lightning P-38 failed to return from a mission 75 years ago today the world lost a much-loved writer
How Hollywood forgot a true pioneer
When Leon Gaumont, head of a photography company, took his secretary to a Lumiere Brothers film screening in 1895, she was inspired to become the world’s first female film director
How Qantas dodged crash-prone Comet jets
Qantas’ pivotal decision not to buy the world’s first commercial jet airliner, the de Havilland Comet which was soon to suffer three tragic crashes, paved the way for its successful first flight from Sydney to San Francisco, 60 years ago on Monday.
Canyoning disaster ‘like being in a washing machine’
The Australian was one of the few survivors of a disaster that killed 21 young people out for a fun adrenaline fix 20 years ago today
Hauer’s homeland was too small for a big star
While it didn’t win him any awards, Rutger Hauer gave the performance of his career to get out of the army, so that he would be free to become a professional actor
Farmer’s son set world on course for Great War
He was one of several assassins sent to kill the Archduke Franz Ferdinand, but by hitting his mark he became infamous as the man who sparked a global conflict
Channel hero no match for power of Niagara
The violently swirling waters below Niagara Falls tempted Captain Matthew Webb, the first man to swim the English Channel, to try his luck in 1883. Unfortunately his skill was not enough
New wave astronauts ‘carry torch’ for moon landers
A Russian, American and Italian have blasted off into space on the 50th anniversary of the Moon landing, in a fitting tribute to the Apollo 11 crew.
Everest garbage would shock conqueror Hillary
The intrepid was not prepared for the worldwide excitement when he and Tenzing Norgay made it to the summit of Mount Everest
Crash mystery a shadow over JFK’s lunar legacy
As the world prepared to celebrate one of the greatest visions of his brother’s presidency, US senator Ted Kennedy was embroiled in a tragic controversy
65 hours trapped as wife dies next to him
“I can hear you!” Those four words turned a nation’s collective mourning into hope and joy as ski instructor Stuart Diver was found buried deep in the rubble of the Thredbo landslide that had taken the lives of 18 people, including his wife.
Strike saved locals as fragile city crumbled
Pokie players at the Newcastle Workers Club suddenly saw their world go dark on December 28, 1989 as the building collapsed during a devastating earthquake
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