45 years ago today, humans walked on the moon for the first time.

I find kinda hard to avoid being disappointed that the last time anyone was more than 2,000km from the planet was in 1972.

So let’s dial the clock back even further. I’d love to talk about the chilling “For every human being who looks up at the moon in the nights to come will know that there is some corner of another world that is forever mankind.” speech written in case Mike Collins was to make the return trip by himself, but let’s tale a look at what was happening in 1924…

• Stanley Bruce (Nationalist Party of Australia) is Prime Minister of Australia and George V is King. of the United Kingdom (and British Dominions beyond the Seas.)
• Victoria gets it’s first radio station.
• Federal Cabinet meets in Canberra for the first time.
• Charles "Brownlow Medal" Brownlow dies.
• Australia introduces compulsory voting.
• Victoria passes the Parliamentary Elections (Women Candidates) Act
• The Indefatigable-class battlecruiser HMAS Australia is scuttled.
• Bill Ponsford makes 110 runs in his Test Debut at the SCG

and meanwhile, around the world:

• The Ottoman Empire falls and the Islamic Caliphate is abolished after 1,400 years.
• The first Winter Olympic Games is held in France
• “Happy Birthday to you” is published
• Control of Northern Rhodesia passes from the British South Africa Company to The Crown.
• Hitler spends nine months in jail for his role in the Beer Hall Putsch.
• J Edgar Hoover becomes head of the FBI (He was still FBI Director when he died shortly after Apollo 15)
• Mussolini comes to power in Italy.
• Native Americans are granted citizenship of the United States.
• Howard Carter is exploring Tutankhamun’s tomb.
• George Mallory and Andrew Irvine disappear without trace attempting to reach the summit of Mt Everest.
• Judy Garland makes her acting debut.
• Edwin Hubble discovers that Galaxies are a thing.
• After 175 days, John Harding and Erik Nelson complete the first ever round-the-world flight.
• Benny Hill, Robert Mugabe, George HW Bush and Jimmy Carter are all born.
• Vladimir Lennin and Woodrow Wilson both die. (Spoiler alert)

How far we’ve come between 1924, 1969 and 2014. Where will we be in 2059?