In 1978 the Solomon Islands gained their independence from the UK and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations.
The Solomon Islands were first inhabited by tribesman from Papua New-Guinea over 30,000 years ago and there they lived in isolation for several millennia. The first noted modern discovery of the islands was by Spanish explorer, Álvaro de Mendaña y Neira, on the 6th of February 1568. He believed that the islands had much wealth and may have been the source for King Solomon’s Gold, and this is how the islands got their name.
Spanish attempts to build colonies on the islands proved impossible and other European explorers experienced great hostilities from the locals. In 1886 Germany established a protectorate over the Northern islands and in June 1893 Great Britain established itself as a protectorate of the Southern Islands. By 1899 Germany ceded its interested in the North Islands to Great Britain under the Samoan Tripartite Convention. Apart from the occasional missionary the islands and their people remained in isolation. This was until they were invaded by the Japanese during World War II and as a three year battle for their control raged the islands fell to ruin. The isolated people were no longer isolated and their culture which existed for thousands of years was tainted by a world war they knew nothing about.
In the 1950’s Britain set up local councils and central government for the islands which gradually became under more control from native councillors. By 1967 the islands experienced their first general election which was followed by a new constitution in 1974. When Papua New-Guinea gained its independence from Australian administration on the 16th of September 1975 it seemed only a matter of time before the Solomon Islands to would gain their own independence. By January the following year the Solomon Islands were completely self governed and two years after that on the 7th of July 1978 they gained full independence from the United Kingdom. The Islands also joined the Commonwealth of Nations on this day.
In 1928 Sliced Bread first went on sale.
Otto Frederick Rohwedder was an American inventor who made the first loaf slicing machine in 1928 with production and sale of the first pre-sliced loaf going on sale on his 48th birthday, the 7th of July 1928 in Missouri, United States. The advertisement for the sliced loaf at the Chillicothe Baking Company was "the greatest forward step in the baking industry since bread was wrapped". This led to the saying “the best thing since sliced bread”.
