Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt disappears 50 years ago this hour #OnThisDay #OTD (Dec 17 1967)


Video: 'HAROLD HOLT'

(Sunday, December 17, 1967, 12:30 p.m. AEST) — Australian Prime Minister Harold Holt, 59, disappeared today while swimming in the ocean at remote Cheviot Beach, near his resort home in Portsea, Victoria.

Holt’s disappearance sparked “one of the largest search operations in Australian history,” but no trace of his body was ever found.

A memorial service for Holt was held at St Paul’s Cathedral in Melbourne on Dec. 22, 1967, and attended by numerous world leaders, including U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson.


Video: 'The Day Harold Holt Went Missing 17 Dec 1967'