Australian Aboriginal athlete and political figure Nova Peris
© Tony Feder, Getty Images

Australia is famous for its unique culture, metropolitan cities, and unusual wildlife, among other things. Each week, this seasonal feature will spotlight one of Australia’s many wonders.

The Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, are still fresh in our memories. But Australia made history at another Olympics, when an Aboriginal athlete first won Olympic gold.

Nova Peris is an Australian Aboriginal athlete and political figure. As a member of the winning Australian women’s field hockey team at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, Peris was the first Aboriginal Australian to win an Olympic gold medal.

In 1997, Peris was named Young Australian of the Year. This annual award is given to a young Australian citizen by the National Australia Day Council, a government organization. Also in 1997, she received the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM), awarded by the government for service worthy of particular recognition.

Nova Maree Peris was born on Feb. 25, 1971, in Darwin, Northern Territory. She played on the Australian field hockey team that won the Champions Trophy in 1993 and 1995. The Champions Trophy is awarded to the winning team in a major international field hockey tournament. She also played on the Australian team that won the 1994 World Cup, an international tournament held every four years.

After the 1996 Olympic victory, Peris switched to track and field. She won the 200-meter race and was a member of the winning 4×100-meter relay at the Commonwealth Games in 1998. At the 2000 Summer Olympic Games, Peris competed in the 400-meter run, reaching the semifinals. She also ran on the Australian 4×400 meter relay team that finished fifth in the finals.

In 2013, Peris became the first Aboriginal Australian woman elected to the federal Parliament. She was elected as a member of the Australian Labor Party to represent the Northern Territory. She served until 2016. Peris’s autobiography, Nova: My Story, was published in 2003.

May 11, 2015

Parliamentary elections were held in the United Kingdom last Thursday, May 7. Friday’s results surprised political experts and British voters. with the Conservative Party winning a majority.

In order to be the majority party in the United Kingdom, a party’s parliamentary candidates must win more than half of the 650 seats in the House of Commons. If no one party garners at least 326 seats, people call this a hung parliament, and parties must try to form alliances with other parties to gain control of 326 seats. When parties join to rule, it is called a coalition government.

Many experts believed the Conservative Party, which was in a coalition with the Liberal Democrats before the May 2015 election, would have difficulty obtaining enough votes to win the majority and might even have trouble finding a partner with which to form a coalition. Instead, the Conservatives won an outright majority, gaining 24 seats, for a total of 331. The Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats lost 26 and 47 seats, respectively. Labour’s leader, Ed Miliband, and the leader of the Liberal Democrats, Nick Clegg, both resigned their leadership after the election results were announced. The true surprise was the strength of the Scottish National Party, led by Nicola Sturgeon. The SNP gained 50 seats and won 56 out of 59 seats in Scotland—a landslide victory that could have repercussions for the future of a united United Kingdom. The Scottish National Party favors independence from the United Kingdom.

David Cameron, who became prime minister of the United Kingdom in May 2010, reorganized his cabinet in May 2015 after his party’s win in parliamentary elections. © Getty Images/Thinkstock

British Prime Minister David Cameron reorganized his cabinet today, choosing conservatives now that he is freed from serving a coalition.

Other World Book articles:

• Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (2011-2014-Back in Time articles)

• United Kingdom (2014-a Back in Time article)

March 20, 2012

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom continued the commemoration of her diamond jubilee with a speech before a rare joint session of both Houses of Parliament in Westminster Hall. The Queen is celebrating her 60-year reign, which began in 1952 upon the death of her father, George VI. The only other British monarch to have achieved a diamond jubilee was Elizabeth’s great-great-grandmother, Victoria, who reigned from 1837 to 1901. Queen Elizabeth is the head of state of the United Kingdom as well as of 15 other countries that belong to the Commonwealth of Nations, including Australia, Canada, and New Zealand.

Elizabeth II has been the queen of the United Kingdom and head of the Commonwealth of Nations since 1952. (Courtesy of AP/Wide Wide)

During her speech, the Queen promised to “rededicate” herself  to serving the United Kingdom and its people. She also particularly thanked her husband, Prince Philip, whom she married in 1947,  for being her “constant strength and guide.” Her speech was greeted with a standing ovation by hundreds of dignitaries, including Prime Minister David Cameron and other members of the Cabinet.

In honor of the occasion, the Queen was presented with a stained glass window featuring her Royal Arms. The window, which was designed by British artist John Reyntiens, is to be installed above the north door of Westminster Hall and is a gift from members of both Houses of Parliament.

Additional World Book articles:

• Kings and queens of the United Kingdom
• Royal Family of the United Kingdom
• United Kingdom, History of (The Victorian Age–1840′s-about 1900)