Podcast Episodes
Back to SearchThe twisted history of rope
Rope weaves together the fascinating story of one of humanity’s oldest inventions — a simple twist of fibres that literally held the world together. From hauling stones for the pyramids to anchoring …
Published on 3 months ago
The Australian who was key to the creation of Israel
IN 1947, Herbert Vere "Doc" Evatt was Australia's external affairs minister and the appointed chair of the United Nation's Ad-Hoc Committee on the Palestinian Question, which was tasked with devising…
Published on 3 months ago
A rich man obsessed with Mars: welcome to the 1890s
At the turn of the 20th century, one American became obsessed with the idea of life on Mars, and carried his obsessions into a public movement that may have sparked actual space exploration and scien…
Published on 3 months ago
Surviving Malka Leifer: a decades-long struggle for justice
The new documentary Surviving Malka Leifer reveals the inside-story of the Malka Leifer saga, when three sisters from Melbourne's ultra-Orthodox Jewish community fought for years to bring their abuse…
Published on 3 months ago
The man who brought salmon to Tasmania
In the mid-1800s, Tasmanian sheep farmer James Youl embarked on a fanciful mission, to transport live Atlantic salmon eggs from the northern hemisphere to the south, thousands of miles across the sea…
Published on 3 months ago
Nila Ibrahimi: a girl's right to sing in Afghanistan
When Nila Ibrahimi was 13 and living in Kabul, the local government banned girls from singing. She sang anyway, and was part of a protest movement that had the ban reversed. Months later Nila and her…
Published on 3 months ago
Ian Dunt's UK: British Labour conference, Farage in the polls and Tony Blair
Ian Dunt explores the political culture surrounding the UK’s party conference season, considers whether Reform’s Nigel Farage has become the default Opposition leader in the UK, and looks at Donald T…
Published on 3 months ago
Threads of Empire: history's most coveted carpets
For centuries, carpets have been coveted by shahs, emperors, conquerors and chieftains. Historian Dorothy Armstrong tells the stories of twelve fascinating carpets, from the 5th Century BC, to the ru…
Published on 3 months ago
ASIC licenses a stablecoin for the first time. Wait... what's a stablecoin?
ASIC, the Australian financial regulator, has licensed a stablecoin for the first time in its history. A stablecoin is a type of cryptocurrency, and we're at a moment where cryptocurrencies could cha…
Published on 3 months ago
Mark Kenny's Canberra: Albanese champions Australia's role on the world stage
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is on his way home after announcing Australia's intention to run for a position on the UN Security Council at his speech to the UK Labour Party Conference. The PM push…
Published on 3 months ago