Plus ca change…

As a comparative internet neophyte I continue to be amazed at the riches therein.

A bit of otherwise idle research can throw up some extraordinary coincidences or, perhaps, merely illustrate the observation of George Bernard Shaw that ‘If history repeats itself, and the unexpected always happens, how incapable must Man be of learning from experience’.

Consider the following hundred year odyssey, in the context of what’s been in the news in 2011, thus far…

1911

• January 3 – 7.7 magnitude earthquake, Turkestan.
• January 13 – Johannes Johannes Bjelke-Petersen born (Premier of Queensland).
• November 1 – World's first combat aerial bombing mission takes place, Libya.

1921

• May 14 – Tsunami, Makassar Strait, Indonesia.
• August 14 – Masawa earthquake, Eritrea.
• October 3 – Ray Lindwall born (Australian fast bowler and St George full-back).

1931

• February 3 – 7.9 magnitude earthquake destroys much of Napier, NZ.
• June 19 – Attempt by US President Herbert Hoover to stop the banking crisis in Central Europe from causing a worldwide financial meltdown.
• August 31 – Yangtze River floods, leaving 23 million homeless.

1941

• January 21 – WWII – Australian and British forces attack Tobruk, Libya. 
• February 6 – WWII – Fall of Benghazi to the Western Desert Force.
• May 24 – Bob Dylan born, American poet and musician (debatable).

1951

• June 15 - July 1 – In New Mexico, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia, thousands of hectares of forests are destroyed in fires.
• August 6 – Daryl Somers born (entertainer?).
• December 6 – State of emergency declared in Egypt due to increasing riots.

1961

• June 1 – 6.7 magnitude earthquake hits Ethiopia, her most devastating of the 20th century. 
• September 29 – Julia Gillard born (the jury’s out).
• October 10 – Volcanic eruption on Tristan da Cunha causes whole population to be evacuated.

1971

• February 7 – Earthquake kills 31 in Tuscania, Italy.
• April 24 – Tsunami 85 metres high rises over the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, throwing a 750-ton block of coral 2.5 kilometres inland.
• July 3 – Julian Assange born (the jury’s in).

1981

• January 20 – Brendan Fevola born (bingler).
• January 23 – earthquake of 6.8 magnitude in Sichuan, China kills 150.
• February 24 – magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Athens, killing 16 people, injuring thousands and destroying several buildings.

1991

• April 22 – 7.6 earthquake kills 82 in Costa Rica and Panama.
• April 29 – Tropical cyclone hits Bangladesh, killing an estimated 138,000 people.
• June 13 – Spectator killed by lightning at U.S. Open.

2001

• January 13 – 7.6 magnitude earthquake hits El Salvador, killing at least 800 people and leaving thousands homeless.
• January 15 – Wikipedia launched.
• June 23 – 7.9 magnitude earthquake hits south of Peru.

2011

• January 10 – Worst floods in Queensland for 30 years.
• January 14 – Devastating floods in Victoria. 
• February 12 – Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak resigns. 
• February 22 – 6.3 magnitude earthquake strikes Christchurch.
• February 24 – Libya crisis gathers pace: cities of Benghazi, Tobruk and Tripoli involved.
• March 11 – 9.0 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami hits east Japan.

Now, ‘Why’ you ask ‘has the Chairman favoured us with these irrelevant musings? Hasn’t he anything better to do – the re-bid for example?’ Pray, gentle reader, do not be alarmed. The re-bid is progressing well. We have learned from the lessons of 2010 (pace George) and the success factors of 2004 have been re-appraised. We’re optimistic that the earth may move for us but, just now and again, a little reflection is good for relaxing the synapses. Try it.