The Skeptical Historian

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 [https://www.thecommons.com.au/locations/the-commons-collingwood-gipps-street]

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.

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.

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.

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.