Arthur Phillip's eleven-ship convict fleet arrived at Sydney Cove and founded the penal colony of New South Wales, the first permanent European settlement in Australia.
Six British colonies united to form the Commonwealth of Australia, with Edmund Barton as its first prime minister.
Hundreds of thousands of people flee Vietnam by sea after 1975; many die at sea and others are resettled, mostly in Western countries.
Papua New Guinea gained independence from Australia, becoming one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world.
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.