When Australian women were accidentally given the vote.

Reviving an old post, because I like the story!

Australian suffragettes in London in 1911

In the nineteenth century, in the colony of Victoria in Australia, the Electoral Act 1863 was passed. According to the act, “all persons” who owned property were entitled to vote. Though it was not intended to include women in this, there were plenty in the state who did, indeed own property.

In the 1864 elections, some women took advantage of this error and went to the polling stations, where their votes were recorded:

“At one of the polling booths in the Castlemaine district a novel sight was witnessed. A coach filled with ladies drove up, and the fair occupants alighted and recorded their votes.”
The Argus , 5 November 1864, p 4.

The oversight was quickly fixed, and a new law in 1865 once again took voting rights away from women. However, Australia was very early in granting women full voting rights, in 1902.

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On this day: News in 1864

The cover of The Illustrated London News from the 26th of November, 1864.

The main story is about the reelection of US President Abraham Lincoln. Less than half a year later the President was assassinated.

Source

On this day: the Black Thursday Bushfires

As depicted by English-born artist William Strutt in 1864.

One of the worst bushfire disasters in recorded Australian history, the Black Thursday fires took place on the 6th of February, 1851, in the colony of Victoria.

Severe drought in 1850 helped to create the conditions ideal for bushfires. An estimated maximum temperature of 47 °C and strong winds on the day of the disaster magnified the situation.

It is believed the fire started when two bullock drivers left burning logs unattended.

The disaster claimed the lives of twelve people and many animals, and caused significant damage to the countryside.

On this day: a Mormon family photograph

Mormon man Ira Eldredge is seen here with his three wives: Nancy Black Eldredge, Hannah Mariah Savage Eldredge, and Helvig Marie Andersen Eldredge. The photograph is dated the 2nd of January, 1864.

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On this day: the St-Hilaire train disaster

On the 29^th of June, 1864, a train in Quebec, Canada fell through an open swing bridge and into the Richelieu River.

The worst train disaster in Canadian history, it is thought ninety-nine people died in the crash. The majority of people on board were European immigrants.

The investigation placed the blame for the disaster on Grand Trunk Railway, as the train failed to acknowledge stop signals that would have prevented it from falling through the bridge.

When Australian women were accidentally given the vote.

Australian suffragettes in London in 1911

In the nineteenth century, in the colony of Victoria in Australia, the Electoral Act 1863 was passed. According to the act, “all persons” who owned property were entitled to vote. Though it was not intended to include women in this, there were plenty in the state who did, indeed own property.

In the 1864 elections, some women took advantage of this error and went to the polling stations, where their votes were recorded:

“At one of the polling booths in the Castlemaine district a novel sight was witnessed. A coach filled with ladies drove up, and the fair occupants alighted and recorded their votes.”
The Argus , 5 November 1864, p 4.

The oversight was quickly fixed, and a new law in 1865 once again took voting rights away from women. However, Australia was very early in granting women full voting rights, in 1902.

 

 

On this day: a prisoner of war

Treatment of prisoners of war in the United States during the Civil War was often harsh, with prisons on both sides overcrowded, and with very few resources available. Food was scarce and thousands of people died.

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This is Private Jackson O. Broshears of Company D, 65th Indiana Infantry, who fought on the Union side. He was a prisoner for a few months and was starved near to death.

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The documentation of his case is dated the 19th of May, 1864.

On this day: the Great Sheffield Flood

The dam in 1864, shortly after the disaster. X

On the 11th of March, 1864 a dam near Sheffield, England burst its reservoir and caused a flood that killed 244 people. Additionally, more than 600 houses sustained damage or were destroyed.

The Dale Dyke Dam, where the disaster occurred, was rebuilt in 1875.

On this day: the January Uprising began

A symbolic painting of the aftermath of the uprising.

On the 22nd of January, 1863, people of present-day Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Belarus and Latvia rose up against rule by the Russian Empire.

The uprising would last into the following year, and would result in Russia harshly punishing those captured.

On this day: the Battle of Nashville

The Battle of Nashville was part of the US Civil War, and took place from the 15^th to the 16^th of December, 1864. The Union won.

This photograph was taken on the 16^th, and shows the Federal outer line:

Picture source.

At least several hundred people were killed. 387 Federal soldiers were killed, and 112 went missing. However, as most Confederate units did not submit a report of the battle, their losses are unknown. It is generally assumed their losses were greater.