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

Rene Shadbolt

René Shadbolt led the only New Zealand contingent to the Spanish Civil War. She and fellow nurse, Isobel Dodds, cared for wounded soldiers, particularly those from the International Brigades, from July 1937 to November 1938.

more

Get KotW as RSS

Today in History

18 September

1937 First state house opened in Miramar

Most of the Labour Cabinet helped the first tenants move into 12 Fife Lane in Miramar, Wellington. Even Prime Minister Michael Joseph Savage took part, carrying a cumbersome dining table through a cheering throng. The tenants, David and Mary McGregor, found themselves with such distinguished 'movers' because their new home was the first to be completed and made available to state tenants in a new subdivision of state houses. The government's aim was to build 5000 new homes a year to rid New Zealand of sub-standard housing.

The opening ceremony saw 300 others stomp though the McGregors' new home, muddying floors and fingerprinting freshly painted fixtures. Growing impatient at this 'home invasion', they eventually told their guests to leave, but for days afterwards they encountered sightseers peering through their windows.

Image: 12 Fife Lane