A Dingo Ate My Baby!

Twisted History produced by John Kelly, researched by Saint Anne

Notes from the podcast:

August 17, 1980: Michael and Lindy Chamberlain take their two-month old Azaria camping in a god dam desert filled with dingos. What happens next is a case study in how the media and public perception can sway justice in the wrong direction.

and of course, the most famous pop culture reference from Seinfeld: Season 3, Episode 10:

The rest of this week's podcast is The Twisted History of Australia (sort-of)

Batavia (the ship)

Before dawn on June 4, 1629, the Batavia (the ship) on its maiden voyage crashed on Morning Reef near Beacon Island, which is 40 miles off the Western Australian coast, and The Batavia Shipwreck has gone down in history as Australia’s most horrendous mutiny and massacre. 

The worst of the mutineers were swiftly rounded up, taken to Seal Island , and punished – their right hands were cut off before each man was hanged from a gallows. 

One of the men was actually sentenced to “the wheel," which I needed to look up as a refresher, and I am glad I did:

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TORTURE METHODS

The Wheel had a couple of iterations:

Judas Cradle: by which the suspended victim's orifice was slowly impaled on and stretched by the pyramidal tip of the 'seat.'

Spanish Donkey: A torture device consisting of a very narrow vertical surface where the victim is supposed to sit with heavy objects attached to their feet.

The Brazen Bull

The Pear of Anguish: This was a pear-shaped device, with the body of the pear made up of four metal "leaves" joined by a hinge at its top, and a key or crank on one end. The pear was inserted into the vagina, anus or throat, depending on the nature of the crime committed: The oral device was reserved for heretics, while the anal and vaginal pears were used on homosexuals and witches, respectively. Turning the key opened the leaves, causing massive internal damage.

All this and more on the latest Twisted History podcast with Large and Vibbs.

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