Portal:Australia/Anniversaries/February/February 19

The explosion of an oil storage tank, hit during the first Japanese air raid on Darwin

• 1942 – Japanese bombers bomb Darwin during the Pacific War, killing at least 243 people.
• 1943 – Parliament approves the Defence (Citizen Military Forces) Act (1943) introducing conscription for service in the south west Pacific war zone.
• 1955 – The Southeast Asia Collective Defense Treaty (SEATO) comes into force.
• 1996 – Rob Borbidge becomes Premier of Queensland.
• 1998 – Zali Steggall became the first Australian to win an individual medal at the Winter Olympics, taking bronze in the downhill slalom.