Historical Events

On this day in 1862, the first major consignment of New Zealand gold left Dunedin bound for London, establishing NZ as a global supplier.

The discovery of gold in the Witwatersrand Basin on August 20, 1886, triggered the South African gold rush and turned a small camp into the bustling city of Johannesburg. This single find became one of the richest gold deposits in history and transformed South Africa into a global gold powerhouse. It also sparked decades of...

Thousands poured into the Coromandel Peninsula after gold was confirmed near Thames on this day in 1867, launching one of New Zealand’s last great rushes.

On this day in 1853, bushrangers held up a gold escort near Ballarat, stealing 1,500 ounces in what became one of Australia’s most daring gold heists.

Gold was officially confirmed in Bendigo on this day in 1851, accelerating Victoria’s rush and laying the groundwork for one of Australia’s richest fields.

On this day in 1854, miners protesting license fees and injustice clashed with police at Eureka—an event now seen as a birth cry of Australian democracy.

The Clutha River saw NZ’s first successful gold dredge in operation on this day in 1863—ushering in a new era of mining technology.

On this day in 1848, James Marshall found gold at Sutter’s Mill in California. News of the discovery led to the largest migration in U.S. history — the California Gold...

The Welcome Stranger gold nugget, discovered on February 5, 1869, near Moliagul, Victoria, remains the largest alluvial gold nugget ever found by hand. It weighed a staggering 72 kilograms (2,300...

The Klondike gold rush began on February 12, 1896, in the icy north of Canada’s Yukon Territory. Within months, thousands set out in a brutal journey across frozen passes in...

On May 20, 1861, gold was discovered near Gabriel’s Gully in Otago, launching New Zealand’s first major gold rush. 'Gabriel Read’s discovery near Lawrence set off a rush that transformed...