The Skeptical Historian

On New Year's Eve in Sydney, 1908, things got so out of hands that the council came close to banning the celebration forever! Join Juliana in the very first episode of 2024 to discover what happened, why everything went wrong that year and the lasting legacy that began with a a gang of larrikins with explosive sticks...

The Skeptical Historian Writes A Thesis is available every second Tuesday, wherever your get your favourite shows.

SEASON FINAL!

Sixty years ago, 35th President of the United States John Fitzgerald Kennedy, better known as JFK, was murdered in Dallas, Texas by Lee Harvey Oswald: a violent political extremist.

But, despite multiple, investigations coming to the same conclusion, conspiracy theories about JFK's murder live-on into the present day, and none more so than 'Umbrella Man.'

Was he signaling a gunman, as is commonly believed, or was he just "in the wrong place, at the wrong time, doing the wrong thing?" Listen in and find out.

This is the last FULL LENGTH episode of The Skeptical Historian for Season 1 before I sign out for December. I will return on the first Tuesday in January with Season 2: The Skeptical Historian Writes A Thesis.

Have a safe and happy holiday season, and I look forward to talking with you again.

Stay Skeptical!

What do you get when you cross low wages with tumbledown barracks, overwork, corporate spies and the Melbourne Cup Carnival? You get the Victoria Police Strike of 1923!

Following the first and only police strike in Australian history, Former Army Chief of Staff Thomas Blamey was appointed as Chief Commissioner of Victoria Police. Unfortunately, his penchant for controversy quickly infected the force and he found himself mired in scandal after scandal. Just six week after he was appointed, he was found wearing naught but his badge in an illegal brothel in Fitzroy. Or was he?

Join Juliana to explore policing in the volatile decade of the 1920s and try and figure out who really flashed Badge 80 (and much else besides) in a Melbourne brothel.

Part 2 of 2. Edward "Ned" Kelly is perhaps one of the best konwn as most controversial figures in Australian history. Join me for Part II of his story, where we examine Ned's claim that the murder of three policeman at Stringybark Creek was nothing more than self-defense, and put to the test the idea that he robbed banks in Euroa and Jerilderie and handed his proceeds out like a regular Robin Hood. Listeners please note, there are some audio glitches due to difficulty with my equipment, so please excuse any slight jumps in the podcast. This episode discusses gun violence, violent crime, suicide and capital punishment. It may not be suitable for all listeners.

Part 1 of 2.

Edward "Ned" Kelly is perhaps one of the best known and most controversial figures in Australian history. Join me in this first two-part episode of the Skeptical Historian for a deep dive into Kelly's story, and examine the facts, the myths and the people who were involved.

Listeners please note, this episode discusses gun violence, violent crime, police brutality and capital punishment. It may not be suitable for all listeners.

In 1891, Melbourne was in the midst of an economic depression, a land crash, a maritime strike and a locust plague. To add insult to injury, the sewers caught fire and (much to the horror of the political establishment) women chose this time to start demanding the vote.In the midst of all these calamities, someone stole the Legislative Assembly's mace, a gold-plated stick with purely ceremonial value. But what should have been a back page story became headline news as more and ever more salacious gossip about the mace's whereabouts began to spread. To this day, despite a $50,000 reward on offer, it's never been seen again.But who took it? And why? And what does Madame Brussels, Melbourne's most famous brothel keeper, have to do with it?References for this episode can be found here: https://skepticalhistory.com/sources/

In 1900, bubonic plague, the Black Death, arrived in Sydney and within a year, it had found its way to Melbourne, Fremantle, Adelaide and Far North Queensland. So how come our brush with this most infamous and deadly disease doesn't get more pages in the history books? Juliana takes a deep dive into Australia's 30-year plague epidemic to understand how a disease with a track record for killing millions didn't even get close in this country, and examines how much of a role the lauded pre-preparation really played in Australia's good fortune.Sources for this episode can be found here: https://skepticalhistory.com/172-2/

In 1888, in front of a sold-out audience at the Princess Theatre, British-Italian Opera Singer Frederick Baker suffered a massive heart attack as he descended into "hell" through a trapdoor on the stage. Despite the desperate attempts by doctors to save him, he was declared dead forty minutes later... except that his co-stars swore he joined them for the final curtain call! In this episode, Juliana explores some famous ghost stories from Australia, England and the USA, and considers the age old question, what is it that makes people believe in ghosts?

When Europeans arrived in Australia more than 200 years ago, they brought with them horses, cattle, pigs, goats, deer, dogs... and big cats! Ever since, people have claimed to see these animals lurking in the bush, and strange tales abound of livestock killed and cached in trees, while huge pawprints are seen on bushwalking trails. But could it possibly be true? Are there really big cats in Australia? Join Juliana to unravel the mystery!

In Fall River, Massachusetts, on a hot August day in 1892, Andrew Borden and his wife Abby were murdered, struck multiple times in the head with a hatchet. The only person home at the time of the attacks was Andrew's daughter Lizzie, who was later charged with two counts of murder. Juliana looks over the infamous North American case to consider if Lizzie Borden really "took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks" before finishing off her father with forty-one blows to the head, and why the question of her guilt or innocence continues to be debated to this day. Listeners are advised this episode contains depictions of murder and historical racist attitudes that some listeners may find disturbing.