FUN WITH MAPS ISSUE 2024-164

By Steve Kovacs (Introduction by Chuck Gibson)

LOVELAND, OH (August 30, 2024) – In this edition of Fun with Maps we travel down under to recognize a significant historical date.   

GOTHAM DOWN UNDER

Melbourne, Australia was founded on August 30, 1835.  It is the second largest city in the country and the capital of the state of Victoria.

It is named after the then-Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, William Lamb, the 2nd Viscount of Melbourne, although it was originally named Batmania after one of the founders, John Batman. 

In the 1850s, Australia experienced its own gold rush – the Victoria Gold Rush – which made Melbourne the richest and largest city in the world for a short time.

The city is considered Australia’s sporting and cultural capital and ranks 4th in the world as the highest percent of foreign population living there.

In 1956, Melbourne became the first location outside North America and Europe to host the Olympic Games – the 1956 Summer Olympics.  The most notable event: the literally bloody water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union, right after the Soviets crushed the Hungarian revolution against the communists.   Hungary won 4:0 in the pool on their way to eventually win the gold medal.

Black’s map of Victoria is presented here from 1892.

Steve Kovacs and his wife Theresa reside in Loveland, Ohio where they raised their two children. He is a passionate collector of antique maps.

Visit his antique map boutique world-on-paper online. Watch for his daily feature Steve Kovacs: Fun with Maps here on Loveland Beacon.