In a History Lab season like no other, we’re pulling on the threads of one of Australia’s greatest misunderstood histories, moving beyond the myths to learn what the Aboriginal brothers Jimmy and Joe Governor faced in both life and death.
Forensic Science was founded on the principle that ‘every contact leaves a trace’ but history shows we can’t always rely on one trace alone. What happens when our justice system demands a certainty that science is unable to give?
Hear from a boy who was stolen, the man who took him away and the judge who was asked to decide if a mother’s thumbprint was a sign of consent. Why have signatures acted as a tool for control and how has their power come to be reimagined?
From tarot cards to mediumship, getting our fortunes told is a pastime that dates back centuries. But during Australia’s Federation period it was a crime, and is still illegal in some parts of the country.
History Lab host Dr Tamson Pietsch hands over the mic to Dr Alecia Simmonds, an interdisciplinary scholar of law and history. In this bonus episode they dissect how it is the law ‘knows’ and discuss how both history and the law rely on traces from the past to draw conclusions in the present.
Death, money and family are the key ingredients in any last will and testament. They also make a killer cocktail that unleashes a special force not present in any other part of the law.
From fortune telling to fingerprints, unusual wills and forensic science. join us as we delve into the traces left by the law.
The History Lab audio makers explore how they’ve tried to understand the past through sound in History Lab Season 2.
Is world peace just a dream? In the aftermath of WWI, nations came together in an attempt to ensure such a war would never happen again. In this episode, Glenda Sluga and Ninah Kopel search for the ephemeral traces of that belief in a unified world.
Where do jelly babies come from? Mass-produced things are all around us. But they all start with a single object. Olivia goes looking for the patternmakers, whose invisible hands create many of the products we use every day.
![SECTION View from the Sydney Hotel [picture] : [Augustus Earle]](https://historylab.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/SECTION-View-from-the-Sydney-Hotel-picture-Augustus-Earle--1200x736-305x305.png)
In 1817, the Bank of New South Wales opened as the first financial institution in the Australian colonies. But when the first customers arrived for the grand opening, they found someone had already made a deposit.
Jutting into Sydney’s glittering harbour, the Sydney Opera House plays host to musicians and dancers, actors and singers. But beneath the notes of their voices, another song echoes across the city’s waters.
