Do Go On

Kate Eschner in the Smithsonian Magazine, writes: “In 1845, Arctic veteran Sir John Franklin departed Britain in command of two ships, the HMS Terror and Erebus , to seek the fabled Northwest Passage in the Arctic. They were last seen by Europeans in Baffin Bay, off the coast of Greenland. Then both ships disappeared, seemingly swallowed by the ice and never heard from again, at least not fro...

When Japan surrendered in 1945, World War II was brought to a close and the United States' plans for a third atomic bomb drop were abandoned. The plutonium core at the centre of the bomb was shipped to New Mexico for further experiments. Despite avoiding use in war, this plutonium core was still intent on killing. Being at the centre of the first two criticality accidents in history, it was dubbed...

Throughout the second half of the 20th century New Zealand’s waterways were invaded by thousands of introduced fish that have changed the environmental makeup of the country. This was all the work of one man, The New Zealand Fish Terrorist, Stewart Smith - this is his story. Buy tickets to our live streamed shows (including the full extended stream of this episode!): https://sospresents.com/a...

It's been referred to as “Britain’s Roswell” and is very very tenuously linked to Christmas, so this years Chrishmish episode is about the Rendlesham Forest Incident! In 1980, several American Servicemen saw some very bright lights... a UFO? A lighthouse? A car? What were those lights!? Buy tickets to our live streamed shows (including the full extended stream of this episode!): https://sospresent...

This week we are joined by our friends / the 16th and 17th best investigative journalists that the ABC has, Cameron James and Alexei Toliopoulos! Their new podcast, Finding Desperado, is based on a fact Cam found in the Guinness Book Of Records, and he's come in to tell us about the origin story of that wonderful, weird book. This is a super fun episode with an array of characters (played by Alexe...

Born into relative obscurity, Ching Shih burst onto the world stage in 1801 and would quickly become the most successful pirate in history, commanding tens of thousands of pirates and ruling the South China Sea. Buy tickets to our live streamed shows, (buy a season pass to get 4 for the price of 3! You can also watch old streams, all with exclusive sections): https://sospresents.com/authors/dogoon...

Pauline Dakin's childhood was spent on the run, it wasn't until she was an adult that she found out why - and that was just the start of it. Buy tickets to our live streamed shows, including this episode! Buy a season pass to get 4 for the price of 3! You can also watch old streams, all with exclusive sections: https://sospresents.com/authors/dogoon Support the show and get rewards like bonus epis...

With a career spanning six decades, most of which was spent in / breaking out of prison, you would think that Forrest Tucker would be a name we have heard a lot. You may have seen Robert Redford play Forrest in The Old Man & the Gun, but this is the story that inspired the movie. Jail breaks, petty crime and car chances. What more could you want in a podcast? Buy tickets to our live streamed s...

Special guest month continues with Zachary Ruane from Aunty Donna dropping in to tell us about one of Disney's stranger theme parks, California Adventure Park! Vote for us in the Australian Podcast Awards: https://australianpodcastawards.com/vote Check out Aunty Donna's new Netflix show: https://www.netflix.com/title/81009617 Mish and Zach's Leguizamarama podcast: https://play.acast.com/s/mishandz...

Our good friend Andy Matthews joins us this week to tell us about one of the most polite bushrangers in Australian history ; Matthew Brady. Check out Frontier War Stories: https://boespearim.podbean.com/ Check out Andy's podcast: https://www.planetbroadcasting.com/our-shows/two-in-the-think-tank/ Check out Andy and Al's great show, MAGMA: https://sospresents.com/programs/magma?categoryId=40973 Buy...

He's probably the most acclaimed horror writer of the 20th Century, H.P. Lovecraft lived a life that was almost as strange as his creations. When he died in 1937, his work was almost completely unknown, but left behind many stories that have since been dubbed 'The Cthulhu Mythos'. In the decades since his death he has become extremely influential around the world. And also, extremely controversial...

Ted Bundy is one of the most infamous serial killers in American history, this is his awful story. This is the second most popular topic in our annual Blocktober month of episodes where we report on the most requested/topics of the year. Tune in next week to hear what was number one! Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: patreon.com/DoGoOnPod Buy tickets to our streamed shows (ther...

It's almost impossible to have NOT seen a Robin Williams movie! He's one of the most well known comic actors, but how did he come to be a household name? Let's take a look at the making of a legend ; the life of Robin Williams. Buy tickets to our live streamed shows: https://sospresents.com/catalog Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: patreon.com/DoGoOnPod Buy tickets to our strea...

In the Spring of 1846, The Donner Reed Party set out on a journey across the United States. They had no idea that they were embarking on what would become one of the most harrowing journeys in history. A terrible shortcut, bad weather and some ridiculous decisions later... their names and what they had to do to survive quickly became part of US folklore. Support the show and get rewards like bonus...

Late on the evening of the 12th of June, 1994, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman’s bloodied bodies were found outside of Brown's Brentwood, California home. In the early afternoon the following day, famous retired footballer and actor OJ Simpson was taken in for questioning and eventually charged with the murders. The ensuing trial gripped America and the world. This is that story. Vote fo...

We all know the name Aretha. She's the Queen of Soul, a once in a generation voice. But what do you know about her early life, and how she came to be a household name? Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: patreon.com/DoGoOnPod Check out our web series: https://www.youtube.com/user/stupidoldchannel   Submit a topic idea directly to the hat: dogoonpod.com/Submit-a-Topic Twitter...

What seemingly harmless backyard activity nearly caused World War 3? Gardening! In 1976, a group of South Korean and US soldiers were ordered to cut down a poplar tree in the Demilitarized Zone separating North and South Korea. The North Korean soldiers watching on were not happy and attacked and killed two US soldiers, leaving the US with the question of how to retaliate. They didn't want to look...

On the 17th of December, 2004, Transylvania University librarian Betty Jean Gooch was waiting for her meeting with a man named Walter Beckman - within hours, a crime was committed that is now listed among the F.B.I.’s all-time most significant art-theft cases... it was also one of the most bungled. Listen to hear what went down! Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: patreon.com/DoG...

No, she's not a comic book hero or a woman who delivers birds and sugar. But Robin Miller is an Australian legend, and one that not many Aussies know about! This is the story of the incredible life of Robin Miller; The Sugarbird lady. Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: patreon.com/DoGoOnPod Check out our web series: https://www.youtube.com/user/stupidoldchannel   Submit a t...

In 1969, some of the most iconic acts of the 1960s performed at Woodstock for four days of peace love and music. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Who, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Santana and many more took to the stage. But despite going down in history as one of the greatest festivals of all time, Woodstock was almost an unmitigated disaster. Last minute venue changes, bad weather, no security a...

After the episode about Sir Donald Bradman we've had a few listeners saying all the cricketing lingo was a bit confusing at times, so we've tried to explain the basics in this mini episode! There's every chance you'll get to the end of this and be even more confused, sorry! (PS. This is not an episode for people who know and love cricket, you will hate it!) Buy tickets to our streamed shows (there...

Voted the greatest male athlete of the past 200 years by the Australian Confederation of Sport in 1988, Don Bradman is seen as the greatest of all time - but you may not know the story that got him there and about the adventures he had along the way! Buy tickets to our streamed shows (there are 8 available, all with exclusive extra sections): https://sospresents.com/authors/dogoon Support the show...

In the 1960s, Betty and Barney Hill went on a road trip that changed their lives forever. What happened to them? We're still not fully sure.... This episode was recorded as part of our live stream series! You can see the video and other live episodes at sospresents.com Buy tickets to our live streamed shows: https://sospresents.com/catalog Support the show and get rewards like bonus episodes: patr...

Our 250th episode is all about the Mad Trapper Of Rat River. When Canadian authorities paid a visit to a remote log cabin, they didn't expect the man inside to shoot at them through door and then lead them on one of the longest and most grueling manhunts in history. Buy tickets to our live streamed shows, including episode 250 and this coming August 8: https://sospresents.com/authors/dogoon Suppor...

We all know that 'Diamonds Are Forever', but have they always been? Turns out De Beers, with the help of some clever marketing, were able to build up the diamond myth throughout the 20th century. How far did they go in their quest to create demand for diamonds? Buy tickets to our live streamed shows on July 18 + 25, August 1st + 8: https://sospresents.com/authors/dogoon Support the show and get re...