Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia, becoming one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.
Hundreds of thousands of people flee Vietnam by sea after 1975; many die at sea and others are resettled, mostly in Western countries.
The High Court of Australia rejected the doctrine of terra nullius and recognised Indigenous native title to land, in the case brought by Eddie Mabo.
The Imperial Japanese Navy launches a surprise attack on the US naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, bringing the United States into World War II.
The Australian and New Zealand Army Corps landed on the Gallipoli peninsula in the Allies' unsuccessful campaign against the Ottoman Empire; 25 April is now commemorated as Anzac Day.
Six British colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia, with Edmund Barton as its first prime minister.
New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world to give women the right to vote in parliamentary elections.