Modern Era
Battle of Midway (1942): The Turning Point in the Pacific War
Decisive US victory; Japan lost four fleet carriers and the initiative in the Pacific passed to the Allies.
Region
Oceania
Modern Era
Battle of Tarawa (1943): The Bloody Assault on Betio Island
US victory; Betio was captured in 76 hours, at a cost of about 1,000 American dead and nearly the entire Japanese garrison.
Modern Era
Death of Admiral Yamamoto (1943): Operation Vengeance
Admiral Yamamoto was killed when his bomber was shot down; one American fighter and its pilot were lost.
Modern Era
Battle of the Philippine Sea (1944): The Marianas Turkey Shoot
Decisive US victory; Japan lost three carriers and most of its carrier aircraft and aircrews, and the Marianas were secured.
Modern Era
Battle of Iwo Jima (1945): The Marines and Mount Suribachi
US victory after five weeks of fighting; almost the entire Japanese garrison was killed, and the island's airfields were used by American aircraft for the rest of the war.
Contemporary
Castle Bravo (1954): The Worst US Nuclear Test Accident
The test produced 15 megatons instead of the expected 6, contaminating inhabited atolls and a Japanese fishing boat and fuelling worldwide concern over fallout.
Contemporary
Battle of Long Tan (1966): Australia at War in Vietnam
D Company held its ground until relieved; 18 Australians were killed and at least 245 Viet Cong bodies were found, and the 1st Australian Task Force kept control of its area.
Contemporary
Wave Hill Walk-off (1966): The Gurindji Strike for Land Rights
The strike became a campaign for land; in 1975 the Gurindji received a lease over part of their country, a milestone towards Aboriginal land rights law.
Contemporary
1967 Australian Referendum: Aboriginal Australians Counted
The amendment was approved by 90.77 per cent of voters and all six states, giving the Commonwealth power to legislate for Aboriginal people and ending their exclusion from population counts.
Contemporary
Aboriginal Tent Embassy (1972): Protest at Parliament House
The protest put Aboriginal land rights at the centre of national politics and the Embassy, permanently re-established in 1992, still stands.
Contemporary
Sinking of the Rainbow Warrior (1985): France Bombs Greenpeace
The ship was sunk and one crew member killed; France eventually admitted responsibility, its defence minister resigned and it paid compensation to New Zealand and Greenpeace.
Contemporary
Black Saturday Bushfires (2009): Victoria's Deadliest Fire Day
173 people were killed and more than 2,000 homes destroyed, Australia's deadliest bushfire disaster; fire warnings and the 'stay or go' policy were overhauled.