23 November

Influenza pandemic reaches peak mortality

1918 Influenza pandemic reaches peak mortality

No other event has killed so many New Zealanders in such a short time as the 1918 influenza pandemic. Read more...
25 Battalion suffers heavy casualties at Point 175

1941 25 Battalion suffers heavy casualties at Point 175

The attack was part of Operation Crusader, an ambitious attempt by the British Eighth Army to both recapture Tobruk and destroy General Erwin Rommel’s elite Afrika Korps. Read more...
Civic funeral for 41 Ballantynes fire victims

1947 Civic funeral for 41 Ballantynes fire victims

On 18 November 1947 Ballantynes, a Christchurch department store that was a local institution, was razed by the deadliest fires in New Zealand history. The bodies of the 41 victims were buried at Ruru Lawn Cemetery, Bromley, after a civic funeral five days later. Read more...
Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass in windy Wellington

1986 Pope John Paul II celebrates Mass in windy Wellington

The first and so far only visit to New Zealand by a Bishop of Rome was significant for both Catholics and the wider community. Read more...