Got a rodent problem? Call an exterminator. Got a convict problem? Put them on an island far, far away with no chances of leaving. That’s the British way, it seems: send the problem overseas. This notion of sending convicts to an island came within ten years of American independence. Keep in mind that the Puritans, although left on their own accord, were practically kicked out of England via persecution and headed to the New World.
On this day, March 6th, in 1788, a convict settlement in the Pacific Ocean is founded. Norfolk Island is a tiny island of 13.3 square miles. These vagabonds couldn’t even run a full 26-mile marathon across.
Norfolk Island would end up having a number of different convict settlements throughout the years, this first one lasting roughly a decade. The settlement was intended for only the worst kinds of criminals, but what has been discovered is that most of the criminals were in fact non-violent criminals. Norfolk Island again played a crucial role in WWII when it was used as a refueling station.