Here are some facts for this day. You are welcome to log your interesting, quirky or fun fact/s with your log.
On This Day - January 3rd
Australian History
1870 - Western Australia adopts its first state flag.
The first flag of Western Australia was adopted on 3 January 1870. Almost identical to the current flag, it was based on the defaced British Blue Ensign, and featured the state badge. The badge consisted of a gold disc with a native Black Swan, after which the Swan River was named. The only difference between the first state flag and the current flag, adopted in 1953, is that the swan originally faced the opposite direction towards the fly, rather than towards the hoist. The change was made to conform with official guidelines that animals on flags must face the hoist, so when carried on a pole, the animal faces the direction of the flag bearer.
World History
1888 - The drinking straw is patented.
The drinking straw is a common sight everywhere in modern society, and even the cause of a great deal of litter. The straw has a long history, going back to the Sumerians, an ancient Mesopotamian civilisation, who used natural materials to form a cylindrical shape so they could drink beer, thus avoiding the sediments resulting from the fermentation process. The modern drinking straw was patented on 3 December 1888 by Marvin Chester Stone.
Stone was an employee at a paper cigarette holder factory in Washington DC. Straws used for drinking liquids were made from rye-grass, and tended to give drinks a grassy flavour. Using a fine piece of paper from the cigarette holder factory, Stone rolled it around a pencil then coated it in wax to prevent it becoming waterlogged. The success of his simple invention led to him applying immediately for a patent.