This month, Josie (fresh from her trip to France) tells Mel about Nancy Wake - an Aussie living in the south of France who became a spy known as the White Mouse during WWII. This episode of The Zest Is History was produced by Josie Rozenberg-Clarke, with research by Caitlin Robson. Credits: Wikipedia, obvs https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nancy_Wake Timeline World History Documentaries, How Nancy Wake Saved Countless Lives | Enemy Of The Reich, July 18 2018,...

This week, Mel tells Josie all about the life of Bob Hawke, one of Australia's greatest Prime Ministers who was also known for his wild sex life and penchant for downing a beer in record time. The Zest Is History was produced by Melissa Mason this week, with research by Caitlin Robson. As always, love us please: Become a TZIH Patreon supporter at patreon.com/thezestishistory Join The Zest Is History Podcast group on FB by searching for "The Zest Is History Podcast" on Facebook. Follow us on...

This week, Josie tells Mel all about the Picasso Art Heist, where a very famous, VERY EXPENSIVE Picasso painting was literally taken straight off the wall of the National Gallery in Victoria. The Zest Is History was produced by Josie Rozenberg-Clarke this week, with research by Caitlin Robson. As always, love us please: Become a TZIH Patreon supporter at patreon.com/thezestishistory Join The Zest Is History Podcast group on FB by searching for "The Zest Is History Podcast" on Facebook. Follow...

This week, Mel tells Josie about saltwater crocodiles - those terrifying, dinosaur creatures that inhabit pretty much any body of water you'd fine in the Top End of Australia. Cunning, smart and absolutely ginormous, they've terrorised Aussies forever - but they're pretty cool, if you forget about how they can swallow you whole. As always, love us please: Become a TZIH Patreon supporter at patreon.com/thezestishistory Join The Zest Is History Podcast group on FB by searching for "The Zest Is...

In this long-awaited, much-delayed by illness and (technological) misadventure episode, Josie talks Mel through the mysterious origin story of Australia's national dance - The Nutbush. We recorded this as a livestream for our Patreon supporters so if you want to watch us record the next ep, get involved here for just $5 a month: patreon.com/thezestishistory Video of the Nutbush for any non-Aussie listeners!...

We're back! We're doing mysteries! It's like All Aussie Mystery Hour except it's not! This episode, Mel takes Josie through The Button Man, a mysterious guy who lives in the Victorian High Country area for periods each year. The thing is, there have also been several eerie disappearances in the same area over the last few years. Cue media suspicion of The Button Man - but is he just a prankster freaking out...

What is the charge? Eating a meal? Josie takes Mel through the long and convoluted story behind the bloke whose wild arrest in the 1980s went super viral in the 2010s. Loathe zesty chit-chat? head to 26:24. CREDITS PEDESTRIAN.TV 2021 by Courtney Fry & Michael Di Iorio https://www.pedestrian.tv/entertainment/succulent-chinese-meal-guy-investigation/ Reddit thread by cammyjew https://www.reddit.com/r/videos/comments/396ij0/the_hilarious_arrest_of_hungarian_nobleman_paul/ Canberra Times 1005...

This week, Mel tells Josie about Shane Warne - one of Australia's greatest cricketers of all time. Shane was also known for his sexcapades, including plenty of sexting, an alleged threesome and a whirlwind romance with none other than Liz Hurley. CREDITS: Ninemsn, 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20071109155241/http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=298635 ABC, 2006 https://web.archive.org/web/20060517120949/http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200605/s1632604.htm News.com.au, Jai...

In this episode, Josie tells Mel the chaotic story of Lennie Gwyther, a 9-year-old boy whose parents let him ride his pony Ginger Mick 1000km to Sydney to see the opening of the Harbour Bridge. Shoutout to Nik from the Zest Is History Facebook group for suggesting this yarn! Hate any kind of zest? Skip straight to 20:20. CREDITS: SMH 2015 by Carolyn Webb https://www.smh.com.au/national/the-nineyearold-who-rode-a-pony-1000km-to-sydney-20150121-12v3kq.html Sydney Living Museums Article by...

This week, Mel tells Josie all about the infamous B&S ball - once called Bachelor and Spinster Balls, now often called "Beer & Sex Balls". In the ye olde days, these events were about matchmaking - now, they're kinda a huge debaucherous festival. As always, love us please: Join The Zest Is History Podcast group on FB by searching for "The Zest Is History Podcast" on Facebook. Send us mail! The Zest Is History, PO Box 453, Rose Bay NSW 2029. Follow us on Instagram @thezestishistory...

CRIKEY, WE'RE BACK! Josie tells Mel the story of one her most favourite people: conservationist, larrikin and family man Steve Irwin. Can she get through it without crying? Probably not! For a bonus video of Josie answering Steve-related questions, head over to our Patreon! To skip the zest, head straight to 20:45. CREDITS: 1992 Who Magazine article by Peter Castro: https://web.archive.org/web/20070930160513/http://www.who.com/who/scoop/article/0,19971,1531530,00.html ABC’s Australian Story...

This week, Josie tells Mel all about the time in 1971 when a mysterious man called Mr Brown called QANTAS HQ and told them there was a bomb on a plane. That was already in the sky. And the bomb would detonate if the plane dropped below 20,000 feet... Wanna skip the zest? Head straight to 27:58. CREDITS: ABC News by Bridget Judd https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-23/qantas-bomb-hoax-1971-the-great-plane-robbery-australia/10807510  7 News by Duncan...

This week, Mel tells Josie about Toots Holzheimer, Australia's first female truck driver who traversed the chaotic terrain of Far North Queensland (oh, and had like 400 babies while doing so). CREDITS: Toots: Woman in a Man's World by Donna Vawdrey As always, love us please: Join The Zest Is History Podcast group on FB by searching for "The Zest Is History Podcast" on Facebook. Send us mail! The Zest Is History, PO Box 453, Rose Bay NSW 2029. Follow us on Instagram @thezestishistory and...

In Part 2 of our second Sydney live show, Mel schools Josie on the most fearsome creature to never exist, the drop bear. You can find the pics for this episode in our Facebook group or on our Instagram page, details below! CREDITS: As always, love us please: Join The Zest Is History Podcast group on FB by searching for "The Zest Is History Podcast" on Facebook. Send us mail! The Zest Is History, PO Box 453, Rose Bay NSW 2029. Follow us on Instagram @thezestishistory and Twitter...

This week, it's the first part of our second Sydney live show! In which Josie tells Mel all about Jessie Hickman, a female bushranger who kicked a supreme amount of ass. You can find the pics for this episode in our Facebook group or on our Instagram page, details below! CREDITS: Blog post by Di Moore https://www.openwriting.com/archives/2009/05/elizabeth_jessi_1.php ABC by Margaret Burin https://www.abc.net.au/local/photos/2014/12/03/4141124.htm Vice by Emma...

It's the second part of our first Sydney live show! This week, Josie tells Mel the whole, painfully '00s story of Princess Mary - just a gal from Tassie who ended up at a Sydney pub and happened to hook up with the Crown Prince of Denmark, leading to marriage and some really cute babies. You can find the pics for this episode in our Facebook group or on our Instagram page, details below! CREDITS: Daily Mail by Laura...

This week, it's a live recording of our first Sydney show! Mel tells Josie about Beth Maynard, a feisty old-timey gal who had 1,000 husbands and traipsed all over Australia, only to meet an untimely death in Silverton, NSW... was she killed? Or did she die of a broken heart? CREDITS: Odd History, Annie O'Reilly http://www.oddhistory.com.au/outback-south-australia-new-south-wales-queensland-and-the-northern-territory/silverton-and-the-remarkable-love-life-of-beth-maynard/ Wikipedia, Silverton...

MERRY XMAS EVERYONE! As a special holiday treat, Josie tells Mel all about a creepy Icelandic Xmas tradition, the Yule Cat. If you want to see the video of the episode, join our Facebook group by searching The Zest Is History Podcast on FB. CREDITS: https://www.zmescience.com/other/feature-post/christmas-myths-yule-cat/ As always, love us please: Join our Patreon Fan Club at https://www.patreon.com/thezestishistory Join The Zest Is History Podcast group on FB by searching for "The Zest Is...

This week, Josie tells Mel all about Errol Flynn, who left Tassie for the bright lights of Hollywood and ended up becoming a huge (and problematic) movie star in the 1940s. We also filmed the episode for Patreon supporters! Become a supporter at https://www.patreon.com/thezestishistory Can't bear the zest? Head straight to 15:15. CREDITS: Vanity Fair by Julie Miller, 2013 https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2013/09/errol-flynn-toronto-film-festival Diffords Guide for Discerning Drinkers by...

This week, Mel tells Josie about the Granville rail disaster of 1977, the worst in Australian history with 84 passengers killed. It sparked mass reform across not just rail infrastructure, but the way we treat survivor and responder mental health after a traumatic incident. Credits: BBC article, 17 Jan 2017, no author https://www.bbc.com/news/world-australia-38645976 ABC article, 14 Jan 2017, Phillippa...

This week for Spin Us A Yarn, our zesty listener Danika sent us a horrific real-life tale about the cursed Pilliga area of NSW. Want to submit your yarn? Email [email protected] with "Spin Us A Yarn" as the subject line! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Josie tells Mel the tale of Harry Leo Crawford, a man who was actually born Eugenia Falleni in 1875 and whose story is studied by law students today. Wine pairing: 2019 Rocca di Montemassi Calasole Vermentino from the Tuscany wine region of Italy. Want to be boring and skip the zest? Head to 23:40. Credits: ABC Conversations episode from October 25, 2012: https://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2012/10/25/3618433.htm  Australian Dictionary of Biography by Carolyn Strange:...