On this Day

1851 Ten people die in the devastating Black Thursday bushfires around Melbourne.

1906 Bondi Surf Bathers Life Saving Club, believed to be the worlds first life saving club, is founded in Sydney.

1943 A Los Angeles jury acquits Australian actor Errol Flynn of three counts of statutory rape.

1975 Three paintings  one by Raphael and two by Piero della Francesa  are stolen from the National Gallery in Urbino, Italy.

TODAYS BIRTHDAYS

RICK ASTLEY

ENGLISH SINGER (1966)

Best known for a string of hits in the late 1980s and early 90s, Rick Astleys story may have ended with his retirement in 1993 were it not for the Internet phenomenon Rickrolling. Born in Lancashire, England, Astley was groomed for a popstar career while still in his teens, working with the producing team Stock Aitken

Waterman. His first single went largely unnoticed, but it was his second, the

smash Never Gonna Give You Up, that catapulted the young singer to stardom. The song was the first of eight singles to reach the UK Top 10, giving him a Guinness Record which stands to this day. After four successful albums, Astley retired at age 27 and was largely out of the spotlight until the late 2000s, when the Rickrolling

meme caused a surge in popularity  including being named Best Act Ever

at the 2008 MTV Europe Awards.