What happened that day?

Search event by date

See historic events for any day of the year by entering the date below. Why not try your birthday?

Visit the full Calendar

Kiwi of the Week

Tom Ellison

Tom Ellison was captain of NZ's first official rugby team in 1893. He invented the wing forward position and in 1903 wrote one of the game's first coaching manuals.

more

Get KotW as RSS

Today in History

15 August

1951 Troop ship Wahine wrecked en route to Korean War

Carrying New Zealand troops to the Korean War, the 38-year-old Lyttelton–Wellington ferry Wahine ran aground in the Arafura Sea. There were no casualties but the ship became a total loss. more...

Internal links

In strife and war - Lyttelton-Wellington ferries 1951 - key events

External links

TSS Wahine 1913–1951 (NZ Maritime Record)

1945 The war is over! VJ Day

Japan's surrender following the atomic explosions over Hiroshima and Nagasaki ended the Second World War. More than 200,000 New Zealanders had served during the war and more than 11,500 had died. more...