Podcast Episodes

Purple Reign: The Teen Who Bottled Royalty

It was a colour once reserved for emperors and the elite. But a lab mishap soon changed purple forever. 

Cultural historian and author of the book The…

11 months, 2 weeks ago

The Secret Photos That Shamed America

There’s that phrase a picture says a thousand words... but what does a picture of child labour say? 

Curator, educator, and photo-historian Beth Saund…

11 months, 3 weeks ago

Hairspray, Cigarettes and the Wild History of the Asthma Puffer

It’s small enough to fit in your pocket and it’s saved countless lives.

The asthma puffer has had a long journey, stretching back thousands of years t…

1 year ago

Beer vs Cholera: The Map That Changed Medicine

London, 1854. A mysterious and deadly illness is sweeping through Soho, and people are dropping like flies. The leading theory? “Bad air.” But one do…

1 year ago

POW Turned Pioneer: The Aussie Who Changed Bipolar Treatment

A Changi prisoner of war. A fridge full of urine. A handful of dead guinea pigs. And one of the most important medical breakthroughs of the 20th cent…

1 year ago

The Untold History of Henrietta Lacks and Her Miracle Cells

One of the most important scientific discoveries of the last century was the first immortal human cell line, known as “HeLa”. It enabled significant …

1 year ago

From Showman to Balloon Spy: The Man Who Changed How Wars Were Fought

He soared into the sky in a balloon to prove a scientific theory and landed in the world of espionage. 

This is a story about a man with a fabulous mo…

1 year ago

The Butterfly Thief: The Great Museum Heist Still Being Felt Today

It’s one of the greatest museum heists in Australian history - a theft whose repercussions are still being felt today. And yet, no one really knows a…

1 year, 1 month ago

Norman Ohler: Hitler's Secret Drug Addiction and How It Changed WW2

Yes, Adolf Hitler - the guy who was apparently so 'pure' that he never even drank coffee - was secretly a drug addict. 

Norman Ohler, author of the be…

1 year, 1 month ago

What Survives the Crash: The Man Who Gave Planes Memory

This is the story of a gadget lover from Australia who wanted to pirate music and instead created one of the greatest life saving devices in the hist…

1 year, 1 month ago