Blondin and his imitators
People & professions, Such was life:
In the 1870s, a visiting French tightrope walker inspired others to try the same- often with disastrous results.
Articles by: Andrew McConville
The Chief Librarian’s casting vote
People & professions, Such was life:
It is quite a tenuous connection but could our Library claim some credit for the exploration of the Antarctic?
Murder, mayhem and misdeeds: read all about it in the Police News
Social life & customs, Such was life:
The ‘Police News’ had nothing to do with the police- it was a scandalous Melbourne weekly publication which relished depicting all manner of crime.
The Chief Librarian and the soap thieves
Our stories, People & professions:
In 1887, someone was stealing the State Library soap- or was it ‘someones’?
H.G. Wells in Australia
Arts & literature, Such was life:
In January 1939, HG Wells visited Australia and raised the ire of the Australian Prime Minister Joseph Lyons. His visit was brief, controversial and created international news.
Empress Josephine and the last emu
In France, in 1822, the last surviving Australian dwarf emus died. The emus had made the unlikely journey from their their homes on Kangaroo and King Islands to the splendid gardens of Empress Josephine Bonaparte’s Malmaison.
Love, conflict, religion, politics, tragedy…
People & professions, Such was life:
A minister of religion and a young lady confronted by a rejected suitor and his angry mother, a court case, battles over alcohol laws, fiery preaching, love, tragedy and death. Just one small story in the pages of Trove historical newspapers.
Kooyong’s greatest hits
Some of Kooyong’s greatest hits weren’t from the racquets of John Newcombe or Billie Jean King but from that select group of the world’s greatest rock stars whose performances at the stadium were as incendiary as a McEnroe meltdown, as graceful as a Goolagong backhand, as rock steady as the Borg baseline game.
Research Guides – get the best information
Our Library has developed a wide range of online research guides to assist our patrons unravel the complexity and cut through the online white noise in order to access the best information for your interests and research tasks. Topics range from frequent research tasks, to tasks and interests that are regular but not frequent. They make complex subjects and collections more easily accessible, navigable and useable.
The life and death of master magician Chung Ling Soo
Our stories, Performing Arts, Rare Books & Arts:
Magician William Ellsworth Robinson left behind his plain name and New York background and reinvented himself as the Chung Ling Soo, the Marvellous Chinese Conjurer, complete with an imaginative and fictitious life story, In the great days of vaudeville he achieved world fame and in 1909 embarked on a wildly successful tour of Australia and New Zealand. A decade later, still at the height of his career, Chung Ling Soo was mortally wounded on stage undertaking his sensational bullet catch trick.
