In this, the final original episode of The History Blokes, Conan looks at the smallpox epidemic that devastated Sydney's Aboriginal population a year after the First Fleet arrived. Meanwhile, Chris walks us through the Black Death and the Spanish Flu.Stay tuned though for two best-of compilation eps coming soon!

In this, the penultimate episode of The History Blokes, Conan looks at Australian citizenship, which didn't exist until the Nationality and Citizenship Act 1948. He also examines the emergence of the Australian flag, which was designed in 1901 but didn't become the official national flag for another 50 years.There's a strong Kiwi flavour to this ep. Conan subjects Chris to a quiz on New Zealand history, while Chris looks at the referendums a few years ago that nearly saw the New Zealanders change their flag.

Happy new year, everyone! In this ep, Conan warbles about author Miles Franklin who so beautifully captured both the spirit of rural Australia at the time of Federation and the frustrations of so many young women who yearned to escape the ties that bound.  In the intermission, Chris looks at the Ern Malley affair, which has been described as the 20th century's most significant literary hoax.

In this episode, Chris and Conan deploy a grovelling apology for the long delay since they last laid an ep. More importantly, Conan talks about aviation pioneer Charles Kingsford Smith and the trans-Pacific flight that made his name, while Chris looks at a bizarre episode in Australian aviation history that took place over Bass Strait during the 1970s.

Penicillin was the wonder drug that changed the world. It was the first antibiotic and proved an effective treatment against many diseases that are today considered relatively minor, but were more often than not deadly prior to its use.Discovered in 1928 by Alexander Fleming, the drug was made medically useful in the 1940s by a team of Oxford scientists led by Australian Howard Florey and German refugee Ernst Chain. Penicillin has since saved countless lives.

We might recognise him from the $50 note but how much do most of us really know about David Unaipon?Born in 1872, this brilliant First Nations man was born on a church mission near Adelaide. During his remarkably long life (he died aged 94) Unaipon patented many inventions, wrote several books about Aboriginal culture and myth, preached Christianity and advocated for an effective way to reconcile European and First Nations cultures.In this ep, we look at Unaipon's extraordinary life as well as some of the dire policies that various colonial and state governments implemented during that time, such as Protectionism, Assimilation and the creation of the Stolen Generations.There's also a quiz on famous and not so famous inventors.

In 1629, the Dutch ship Batavia wrecked 60 kilometres off the Western Australian coast. Of the 330 souls on board, about 100 drowned immediately. As the stricken ship slowly foundered, the survivors found refuge on nearby islands.  Little did they know that one of the most horrific events in Australian history was about to unfold.

In this slightly late ep, Conan looks at the history of Anzac Day from its inception in 1915 (yes, 1915 not 1916!) to the present, while Chris discusses the Anzacs' superbly executed withdrawal from Gallipoli in December 1915.

Most people don't know that the black box flight recorder was invented by an Australian, namely Dr David Warren AO. And that its invention dates back to the 1950s. Listen with rapt attention as Conan and Chris delve into why, how and what obstacles David faced.

In this episode, Conan rambles delightfully about Douglas Mawson whose expeditions helped stake for Australia 42 per cent of Antarctica. He is also famous for one of the most extraordinary feats of endurance in the history of Antarctic exploration. Chris meanwhile delivers some cool facts about the coldest continent.