The Skeptical Historian

Juliana Byers
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Join historian Juliana Byers to take a deep dive into some of the most famous events from Australia and around the world, and answer that all important question: did that REALLY happen? New episodes released monthly.

  1. Before Apple Cider Vinegar: Cures, Cons and Quacks in Colonial Australia

    05/05/2025

    Before Apple Cider Vinegar: Cures, Cons and Quacks in Colonial Australia

    At the time of recording, the most watched drama on Netflix in Australia was "Apple Cider Vinegar" which was inspired by the story of fraudster Belle Gibson, who built an empire pretending to have cured herself of cancer. But Gibson was not the first (nor will she be the last) to profit from selling fake cures. In colonial Australia, long before Gibson and "Apple Cider Vinegar," quack medicine was everywhere. In this episode, Juliana examines the allure of deadly soothing syrups for babies, full of opium, alcohol and cannabis, and how a savvy businessman selling vegetable oil as a cure-all used advertising to make himself rich. She also offers a peek behind the curtain at the living conditions which made these medicines so desirable, and how long-overdue regulation finally ended their reign around the beginning of the twentieth century. Listeners please note, the episode contains racist language in historical context. Check out The Commons Gipps Street: https://www.thecommons.com.au/locations/the-commons-collingwood-gipps-street

    47 min
  2. The Death Fleet

    04/28/2025

    The Death Fleet

    The horror of the Second Fleet is one of Australia's most shameful untold stories. Just two years after the First Fleet landed with barely any European causalities, six more ships arrived full of dead and dying convicts. But what had gone so wrong? This month, Juliana examines how perverse incentives, greed, poorly written contracts and human frailties all collided to create the catastrophe of the Second Fleet, and what we can learn from it today.

    46 min
  3. Bad Cops: The Shooting of Detective Brophy

    03/17/2025

    Bad Cops: The Shooting of Detective Brophy

    On 22 May 1936, Victoria's most famous detective John O'Connell Brophy, was shot four times in Royal Park, while sitting in an idling car with three civilians. After a bungled cover-up, a Royal Commission was established to sort fact from fiction, but there's still some gaping holes ninety years later. This month, Juliana turns her researcher's eye to this tale, peeling back the layers of cover-up, press speculation and depression-era hysteria to find the answer to the questions which still haunt this case. Buckle up skeptics, this one's a wild ride.

    41 min
  4. Victoria's Burning: Black Thursday, 1851

    02/03/2025

    Victoria's Burning: Black Thursday, 1851

    On February 6 1851, the most extensive bushfire in Victoria’s history roared through the unprepared colony. At least twelve people, one million sheep, thousands of cattle and countless native animals died in the blaze, and over a quarter of the colony was burnt. But how did such a devastating fire occur, and why have we never had another one so extensive? Listen in to find out more.

    47 min
  5. Australia's Deadliest Picnic

    01/13/2025

    Australia's Deadliest Picnic

    On New Year's Day 1915, Gool Mohamed and "Mullah" Abdullah, two local cameleers from Broken Hill, New South Wales, opened fire on a train full of people setting off to enjoy a picnic in nearby Silverton. The men were shot dead later in the day by police. But what caused them to open fire? Was it Australia's first terrorist attack, as some have claimed? An attack on Australia by the forces of the Ottoman Empire? Or something simpler and (perhaps) more terrifying? Listen in and find out.

    40 min
  6. The Tragedy of Henry Wise

    12/15/2024

    The Tragedy of Henry Wise

    Captain Henry Wise, 40th Regiment, is the most famous of the soldiers who stormed the Eureka Stockade in 1854. His death rocked Ballarat to its core and, even today, debate rages about his character, his actions at the stockade, and who it was that fired the fatal shot. Join Juliana in the season finale of "The Skeptical Historian Writes A Thesis" as she examines the short life of this famous officer and what lessons his death has for the ongoing study of Eureka.

    53 min
  7. A Short History of the Age of Consent

    12/01/2024

    A Short History of the Age of Consent

    In 1885, the British parliament passed laws which made it illegal to rape a minor child, i.e. anyone under the age of sixteen. This came after more than a decade of campaigning by reformers and pushback from politicians. These 1885 laws were the first time the age of consent laws in Britain and the empire had been updated since the 1500s! But were these laws as benign on the surface as they appeared, or was there something darker about the long-standing campaign to raise the age of consent? It may come as a shock today, but few reformers actually cared about child sex abuse, and wanted these laws on the books for another reason entirely. Listen in to find out more. WARNING: This episode contains discussion of material which some listeners may find distressing or offensive.

    56 min
  8. Skeptical Short: The Tale of Two Johns

    10/02/2024

    Skeptical Short: The Tale of Two Johns

    We're talked about Melbourne after the gold rush... but what happened before the shiny metal was found, and what were the dreams of the early Europeans when they arrived on the Yarra River? In this special short episode, Juliana considers the two warring Johns who famously claimed to have founded Melbourne: John Batman and John Pascoe Fawkner. Warning: This podcast contains mentions of colonial era atrocities against Indigenous people.

    26 min
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About

Join historian Juliana Byers to take a deep dive into some of the most famous events from Australia and around the world, and answer that all important question: did that REALLY happen? New episodes released monthly.

Information

  • Creator
    Juliana Byers
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2025
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Juliana Byers 2024
  • Show Website
    The Skeptical Historian