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Forgotten Australia — History
Forgotten Australia

Bloody crimes, unsolved mysteries, eccentric celebrities, dark events and bizarre happenings: it’s all here – the stuff you wish they’d taught you in school!

Dive into our strange-but-true history via never-before-told stories, author interviews, weekly flashbacks and the weekly trivia quiz.

Forgotten Australia is created and hosted by Michael Adams, author of the acclaimed true crime books The Murder Squad, Hanging Ned Kelly and They’ll Never Hold Me.

He’s also a regular history and true crime commentator on ABC Nightlife and the podcast Australian True Crime.

Support Forgotten Australia for a few bucks per month to get ad-free early episodes, exclusive bonus episodes, a show shout-out and the chance to win prizes in the special edition trivia quiz episodes.

Get a week’s free trial here:

Patreon: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Apple: apple.co/forgottenaustralia

Email: forgottenaustraliapodcast@gmail.com

Check out my books!

They’ll Never Hold Me:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/they-ll-never-hold-me-michael-adams/book/9781923046474.html

The Murder Squad:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/the-murder-squad-michael-adams/book/9781923046504.html

Hanging Ned Kelly:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/hanging-ned-kelly-michael-adams/book/9781922992185.html

Australia’s Sweetheart:

https://www.booktopia.com.au/australia-s-sweetheart-michael-adams/book/9780733640292.html

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Latest Episodes:

'Young Ned Kelly' – The Boy Bushranger of 1922 – Part One Mar 27, 2022

Show notes

100 years ago today a 15-year-old bushranger dubbed ‘Young Ned Kelly’ made his last stand against an army of heavily armed police and vigilantes. In this two-part episode, we delve into Henry Maple’s short life and reckless crimes — and ask whether he was the victim not only of sensationalist reporting but of a Victorian government cover-up. To support the show: patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathleen Butler — Mother Of The Sydney Harbour Bridge: Part Two Mar 18, 2022

Show notes

Kathleen Butler's smarts and skills saw her play a huge if forgotten role in making the Sydney Harbour Bridge a reality. But this female pioneer in engineering lived in a time when women "couldn't have it all". www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kathleen Butler — Mother Of The Sydney Harbour Bridge: Part One Mar 17, 2022

Show notes

From humble beginnings in the Blue Mountains, Kathleen Butler's smarts and skills saw her play a huge but largely forgotten role in making the Sydney Harbour Bridge a reality.

But this female pioneer in engineering lived in a time when women "couldn't have it all". Part two released tomorrow, the 90th anniversary of the opening of the bridge.

www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shark Attack Of The Century — Part Two: The War On Sharks Feb 10, 2022

Show notes

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Just when they thought it was safe to go back into the water, another young man was mauled by a shark at Coogee and rescued by another brave lifesaver. Now war was declared on the monsters of the deep. It was a conflict that'd attract charlatans, hoaxers and Pacific Islanders armed with knives — all of them watched by huge crowds because people trying to kill sharks had became a good afternoon's entertainment. Meanwhile, whipped into a mania by newspaper moguls, Australia had heroes to celebrate, to fete as celebrities and to shower with cash. But not all bravery would be rewarded equally...

By supporting Forgotten Australia, you're helping me to to dig through (and digitise) ancient files to bring you history as it's never been heard before. As a Patreon, you get a) ad-free early access to shows b) a show shout-out c) exclusive supporter-only bonus episodes d) Australia's Sweetheart — my audiobook about our forgotten film star Mary Maguire.

patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Shark Attack Of The Century — Part One: Into The Jaws Of Death Feb 04, 2022

Show notes

100 years ago today — 4 February 1922 — Australia's attitude to sharks changed when the first known fatal shark attack on a Sydney ocean beach happened in front of thousands of people as a surf carnival was about to start at Coogee. It was a day of horror and heroism that would very quickly have a bloody sequel.

Part 2 coming soon. Support: www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Plague Returns — Part Three: The Great Fire Jan 17, 2022

Show notes

In March 1902 — as the Bubonic Plague tightens its grip — Sydney awakes to a disastrous fire at Her Majesty's Theatre. Next the city's Zoo falls victim to the disease that will make encore appearances for the next 20 years. To support Forgotten Australia — www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Plague Returns — Part Two: Bigger Than Ben Hur Jan 16, 2022

Show notes

With Bubonic Plague spreading in Sydney, the highest-profile "victim" is Ben Hur at Her Majesty's Theatre, despite producers putting pressure on the Premier to circumvent health orders to get the show running again. As more people become infected and die, authorities still struggle to respond in line with their new catchy slogan: "Kill the rats and you kill the plague!" To support Forgotten Australia - www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Plague Returns — Part One: The Bays Of Blood Jan 16, 2022

Show notes

120 years ago today, Sydney faced an epidemic. And it also had a rat problem — but in this case it was there was too many of them.

January 1902 saw the second wave of the Bubonic Plague and — despite the lessons learned during the horrific outbreak of 1900 — politicians, bureaucrats and citizens made all the same mistakes. Meanwhile, as rats multiplied and the body count rose, Sydney prepared for the most spectacular stage show ever seen in Australia. Ben Hur — nothing could be bigger! Except, maybe, microscopic bacteria carried by rat fleas...

Parts 2 & 3 will be released very soon. To support Forgotten Australia and get access to early ad-free eps, bonus shows and more:

www.patreon.com/forgottenaustralia

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reprise — Murder On The Dance Floor — Part Two Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

Season Five is just around the corner. We're kicking off with an episode called Blue Murder On The Golden Mile. It’s a killer tale set in 1926 and it takes us inside what was then the most intensive manhunt and homicide trial in Western Australian history. One of the main characters in Blue Murder On The Golden Mile is a brilliant barrister named Arthur Haynes. I featured Haynes two years ago in the episode Murder On The Dance Floor, which was set in 1925 in Perth.

So, ahead of Season Five, I've dusted off this two-parter in case you haven’t heard the story — and want a bit of an idea of just how formidable Arthur Haynes was a defence lawyer. Here's the gist of Part Two:

There was no doubt Audrey Jacob had shot Cyril Gidley dead in front of hundreds of people during a charity dance at Perth’s Government House. But why had she killed him and was she guilty of murder? The final instalment of this episode takes us inside one of Australia’s most extraordinary trials—and beyond to a second murder, the tragic downfall of a business titan and across the world to the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam War and Carter White House.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Reprise — Murder On The Dance Floor — Part One Nov 19, 2021

Show notes

Season Five is just around the corner. We're kicking off with an episode called Blue Murder On The Golden Mile. It’s a killer tale set in 1926 and it takes us inside what was then the most intensive manhunt and homicide trial in Western Australian history. One of the main characters Blue Murder On The Golden Mile is a brilliant barrister named Arthur Haynes. I featured Haynes two years ago in the episode Murder On The Dance Floor, which was set in 1925 in Perth. So, ahead of Season Five, I've dusted off this two-parter in case you haven’t heard the story — and want a bit of an idea of just how formidable Arthur Haynes was a defence lawyer. Certainly, if you were charged with murder back in the day in WA, he was the man you wanted on your side.

Here's the gist of Part One:

In 1925 beautiful young Audrey Campbell Jacob shot a young man dead in front of hundreds of revellers during a charity dance in the ballroom of Government House in Perth — and the court case that followed the crime was every bit as shocking.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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