History

The dismissal of the Whitlam government in 1975 has long overshadowed another monumental event in Australian political history from that era.

Rubber is waterproof, durable and in so many everyday items it would be impossible for our world to exist in this form without it. However, like many resources, it has a dark past.

Attendees of a commemoration of the killing believe it fractures a heavy silence that has pervaded Australian history and culture, with hopes this kind of truth-telling spreads "like a virus".

Welcome to the strange subculture of urban exploration, or urbex. The pastime's popularity has exploded in recent years, though its rise is a double-edged sword.

In 2008, six experienced walkers retraced the steps of cannibal convict Alexander Pearce almost two centuries on from the escape that earned him infamy. The hikers recently reunited to reflect on their 22-day journey through some of Tasmania's harshest country.

Rosalie Evans was in her early 40s when a cancer diagnosis prompted her to leave her husband and take up kayaking — in a big way. Many years later, her granddaughter is gearing up for an Olympic debut in canoe sprinting.

It's been nearly 40 years since a history-making glider fragment, not much bigger than your hand, headed into orbit only to end up in one of the world's worst space disasters. Now a piece of Bert Hinkler's 1911 glider is on display,

The great-niece of Bert Hinkler offers a rare insight into how the fragment from a glider flown by the aviation pioneer came to be aboard the doomed space shuttle and its unlikely discovery in the Atlantic Ocean.

The 2,500-year-old mummy — dubbed the Screaming Woman — was "virtually dissected" by an Egyptian research team.

Eight new shoots appear on the stump of a famous tree that was illegally felled in northern England last year.

Dwindling congregations and ageing churches being sold off is a familiar story across Australia but this town in regional Victoria is bucking the trend. 

Locals at Catherine Hill Bay have salvaged parts of a century-old timber mining jetty. Now they want to see it used in a Stonehenge-like sculpture for the town.  

For decades the British government hid secret files about the detention and torture of Kenyan resistance fighters. This is how they were revealed and the horrors they contained.

Before there was violent protest, the National Guard and a pig nominated for office — in August 1968, the Democratic National Convention was facing the same dilemma we are now.

Lemon chicken and sweet and sour pork used to be some of Australia's favourite Chinese foods but new crowd-pleasers such as beef noodles and spicy hotpot are changing the food scene.

A Dublin museum has taken down its wax figure of the Nothing Compares 2 U star and apologised to family and fans over its lack of likeness to the late singer.

A fire that caused significant damage to the building complex that houses Adelaide's historic Oxford Hotel, sending out flames and plumes of smoke, is now being treated as a case of possible arson.

A "possibly unparalleled" desert, an archipelago with oceans "virtually free" from human exploitation and resting places for royals of old are among sites given world heritage status.

Known as the "Irish Giant", Charles Byrne's dying wish was to be buried at sea to avoid being dissected and displayed after he died. But he was betrayed and centuries later the debate over where his remains should rest continues.

Researchers have solved a maritime mystery spanning more than half a century, finally bringing closure to those left behind.

A photographer who captured Nicky Winmar's protest against the unrelenting racial abuse during St Kilda's win over Collingwood in 1993 knew the moment was different. But convincing his editor it was front-page news was another battle.

Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Gretel Packer purchased the Metro-Minerva Theatre, a theatre long been in disrepair. Some hope it could be the beginning of a new future for the Art Deco venue.

The continued exhumation of a former cemetery on the grounds of a prestigious Hobart boys' school has uncovered an additional 1,300 human remains — with around 500 more bodies yet to be found.

Satellite imagery has revealed the extent of damage to the Gaza War Cemetery at Deir El Belah, which is mainly dedicated to fallen Allied personnel, including more than 250 Australians.

Letters written with poisoned ink, missiles thrown at politicians' homes and a heated debate about the flooding of Lake Pedder. It was in this climate in 1972 that a shot was fired one night through the window of Tasmania's parliament house.