Today in Labor History January 18, 1788: The First Fleet arrived in Botany Bay, Australia, with 736 convicts from Great Britain. It took over 250 days to reach its destination. The penal colony became the first European settlement in Australia. Mary Bryant, with her husband, children and 6 other convicts escaped the colony and eventually returned to England. Many believe the British deliberately brought people carrying smallpox on the voyage in order to decimate the indigenous population.
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