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Britain transfers the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean to Australia

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Kokos [Keeling]), officially the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Kokos [Keeling]), are an Australian external...

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Kokos [Keeling]), officially the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Kokos [Keeling]), are an Australian external territory located in the Indian Ocean, comprising a small archipelago approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka and relatively close to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The territory's dual name (official since the islands' incorporation into Australia in 1955) reflects that the islands have historically been known as either the Cocos Islands or the Keeling Islands.

The territory consists of two atolls made up of 27 coral islands, of which only two – West Island and Home Island – are inhabited.

Events Before

  1. KSLA TV channel 12 in Shreveport, Louisiana (CBS) begins broadcasting

    KSLA (channel 12) is a television station in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, serving as the CBS affiliate for the Ark-La-Tex region.

  2. Georgetown-IBM experiment, the first public demonstration of a machine translation system, is held at IBM headquarters i

    Georgetown-IBM experiment, the first public demonstration of a machine translation system, is held at IBM headquarters in New York City

  3. "The Nutcracker" ballet choreographed by George Balanchine with Maria Tallchief as the Sugar Plum Fairy opens in New Yor

    "The Nutcracker" ballet choreographed by George Balanchine with Maria Tallchief as the Sugar Plum Fairy opens in New York, establishes its popularity in the US

  4. First mass inoculation against polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine takes place at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh,

    First mass inoculation against polio with the Jonas Salk vaccine takes place at Arsenal Elementary School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

  5. US explodes Castle Bravo, a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll, which accidentally becomes the most powerful nucle

    US explodes Castle Bravo, a 15-megaton hydrogen bomb at Bikini Atoll, which accidentally becomes the most powerful nuclear device ever detonated by the US

Events After

  1. Christine Lagarde is born

    Christine Lagarde is born

  2. A New Year's event causes panic and stampedes at Yahiko Shrine in central Niigata, Japan, killing 124 people

    A New Year's event causes panic and stampedes at Yahiko Shrine in central Niigata, Japan, killing 124 people

  3. RCA records releases Elvis Presley's single "Heartbreak Hotel", his first million-seller (written by Mae Boren Axton and

    RCA records releases Elvis Presley's single "Heartbreak Hotel", his first million-seller (written by Mae Boren Axton and Tommy Durden)

  4. Nikita Khrushchev denounces Joseph Stalin at the 20th Congress of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union

    Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (né Dzhugashvili; 18 December [O.S. 6 December] 1878 – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian-born Soviet revolutionary and politician who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his…

  5. French-Moroccan Agreement signed in Paris rescinds the Treaty of Fez, declaring independence of Morocco from France

    French-Moroccan Agreement signed in Paris rescinds the Treaty of Fez, declaring independence of Morocco from France

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Frequently Asked Questions

What happened on November 23, 1955?
The Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Kokos [Keeling]), officially the Territory of Cocos (Keeling) Islands (Cocos Islands Malay: Pulu Kokos [Keeling]), are an Australian external territory located in the Indian Ocean, comprising a small archipelago approximately midway between Australia and Sri Lanka and relatively close to the Indonesian island of Sumatra. The territory's dual name (official since the islands' incorporation into Australia in 1955) reflects that the islands have historically been known as either the Cocos Islands or the Keeling Islands. The territory consists of two atolls made up of 27 coral islands, of which only two – West Island and Home Island – are inhabited.
Why is Britain transfers the Cocos (Keeling) Islands in the Indian Ocean to Australia historically important?
The territory's dual name (official since the islands' incorporation into Australia in 1955) reflects that the islands have historically been known as either the Cocos Islands or the Keeling Islands. The territory consists of two atolls made up of 27 coral islands, of which only two – West Island and Home Island – are inhabited.

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November 23 in HistoryYear 1955