On This Day
1856 – Australian labour movement: Stonemasons and building workers on building sites around Melbourne march from the University of Melbourne to Parliament House to achieve an eight-hour day.
The Australian labour movement began in the early 19th century and since the late 19th century has included industrial (Australian unions) and political wings (Australian Labor Party). Trade unions in Australia may be organised (i.e., formed) on the basis of craft unionism, general unionism, or industrial unionism. Almost all unions in Australia are affiliated with the Australian Council of Trade Unions (ACTU), many of which have undergone a significant process of amalgamations, especially in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The leadership and membership of unions hold and have at other times held a wide range of political views, including communist, socialist and right-wing views.
According to ABS figures, in August 2013, there were 1.7 million members of trade unions in relation to their main job (17% of all employees). A further 4% did not know whether they were trade union members or not, while 1% were trade union members not in conjunction with their main job. Of those who were a trade union member in relation to their main job, over two-thirds (68%) had been members for five years or more. Trade union membership has steadily declined over recent years, with 2013 being the lowest proportion in the history of the ABS series.[1] According to ACTU figures, the number of members of trade unions in 1983 was 2,376,900 but by 2002 it was 1,833,700,[2] and declining.
The Australian Labor Party at both a federal and state/colony level pre-dates, among others, both the British Labour Party and the New Zealand Labour Party in party formation, government, and policy implementation.[3] In particular, the 1910 federal election represented a number of firsts: it was Australia’s first elected federal majority government; Australia’s first elected Senate majority; the world’s first Labour Party majority government at a national level; after the 1904 Chris Watson minority government the world’s second Labour Party government at a national level; and the first time it controlled both houses of a bicameral legislature.
Born On This Day
1916 – Estella B. Diggs, American businesswoman and politician (d. 2013)
Estella B. Diggs (April 21, 1916 – April 18, 2013) was an American businesswoman, writer and politician from New York.
Life
She was born on April 21, 1916, in St. Louis, Missouri. She attended Pace College, City College of New York and New York University. She was in the real estate and catering businesses and was a career counselor. She was also a writer.[1]
Estella Diggs was a member of the New York State Assembly from 1973 to 1980, sitting in the 180th, 181st, 182nd and 183rd New York State Legislatures. She represented the Morrisania section of the Bronx. She helped write more than 70 bills and was responsible for the first Women’s, Infants, and Children’s program in the state and the first sobering-up station in the Bronx.[2] On November 7, 2011, Estella Diggs Park was dedicated in the Morrisania neighborhood.[3]
She died in 2013, three days before her 97th birthday, in a hospital in the Bronx.[2]
FYI
Open Culture: Amazon Is Giving Away 10 Free Kindle eBooks for World Book Day (Until April 24)
By Colin Marshall, Open Culture: How Frank Lloyd Wright’s Son Invented Lincoln Logs, “America’s National Toy” (1916)
By Josh Jones, Open Culture: Watch 4 Music Videos for Songs from Leonard Cohen’s Final Album, Thanks for the Dance
By Josh Jones, Open Culture: The Digital Lomax Archive Provides Free Access to the Pioneering Recordings of John & Alan Lomax, Compiled Across 7 Decades
By Josh Jones, Open Culture: Is “Rain” the Perfect Beatles Song?: A New Video Explores the Radical Innovations of the 1966 B-Side
Brain Pickings by Maria Popova: Midweek pick-me-up: Nina Simone on time and more ->
Atlas Obscura: Where you can sing along to sea chanteys; Ghost Whiskey; Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium and more ->
Recipes
I Wash You Dry: Cream Cheese Wonton Recipe
DamnDelicious
- Lemon Butter Fish May 29, 2026This post may contain affiliate links. Please see our privacy policy for details. Tender, juicy, flaky fish with a lemon-garlic sauce that will knock your socks off. A 20 minute dinner recipe – so fast, so easy, so good! Why you’ll love this lemon butter fish recipe key ingredients in lemon butter fish Butter Use […]Chungah
- 30+ Easy Memorial Day Recipes to Feed Any Crowd May 18, 2026We rounded up appetizers, sides, mains, desserts and cocktails. All of the crowd favorite recipes you need for your next cookout or barbecue! Summer, we’ve missed you! It’s finally that time of year where we dust off the grill for all the backyard get togethers, family cookouts and barbecues. We have sides, mains, salads, drinks, […]Chungah
RecipeTinEats
- Introducing Jaffle! June 10, 2026Meet Jaffle! Future Chief Taste Tester. Son of a Dozer friend. A little bundle of golden, fluffy joy! 48 hours of instant happiness I didn’t expect to get a new puppy so soon after saying goodbye to Dozer. To be honest, I wasn’t sure when I’d be ready. And I had it in my head... […]Nagi
- Vegetable Tian June 5, 2026Meet Vegetable Tian – a colourful Provençal vegetable bake that I absolutely love! It’s full of beautiful colours, Mediterranean vibes, and looks as good as it tastes. Serve it as a side dish or enjoy it as a vegetarian main. Let’s go! Vegetable Tian I’ve been a ratatouille guy for as long as I can... […]Chef JB (RecipeTin)
wikimedia
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 10 June 10, 2026Picture of the day Hills of České Středohoří (Central Bohemian Highlands): Malý Křižák, Křižák, Brník, Srdov, Milá
- Wikimedia Commons picture of the day for June 9 June 9, 2026Picture of the day Ringed kingfisher flying with freshly caught fish in Mato Grosso, Brazil
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Welcome to the Stump the Bookseller blog!
Stump the Bookseller is a service offered by Loganberry Books to reconnect people to the books they love but can’t quite remember. In brief (for more detailed information see our About page), people can post their memories here, and the hivemind goes to work. After all, the collective mind of bibliophiles, readers, parents and librarians around the world is much better than just a few of us thinking. Together with these wonderful Stumper Magicians, we have a nearly 50% success rate in finding these long lost but treasured books. The more concrete the book description, the better the success rate, of course. It is a labor of love to keep it going, and there is a modest fee. Please see the How To page to find price information and details on how to submit your Book Stumper and payment.
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