The Black Saturday Bushfires of 2009 | Episode 104

There is a strong anthropological argument that controlled fire is humanity’s first invention. Among the many gifts it bestows upon us, being able to survive colder climates is one of them. As you will soon see, in today’s episode, that will not be an issue.        On today’s episode:  you’ll hear about one of the deadliest and most destructive forces on the planet can play a kind of peekaboo and then grow 300 feet tall and make you foul yourself; you will learn what the actual deadliest animals in Australia are (and number one will surprise you); and you’ll learn how one species of tree evolved in a way that makes it want to die as dramatically as possible. And if you were listening on Patreon… you would hear the story of how living dinosaurs defeated one of the world’s most experienced and battle-hardened armies; you would have a chance to meet the tallest and least flammable living thing on earth; and you would learn why arsonists are the stupidest, most selfish, and potentially even racist people you may ever meet, and how to disable one if you ever do.I wasn’t lying when I say I have a soft spot in my heart for Australia. In an alternate timeline, you are listening to this podcast with a slightly adopted Australian accent because I live there happily – and avoiding bushfires seemingly semi-annually. Today, Australians make up a big chunk of my listenership and I want to send more love your way. Step one was this love letter to their kiln-dried country.As a Canadian, we enjoy the fear in foreigner’s eyes when confronted face-to-face with a Canadian Goose, so as a fellow Commonwealth country, Australia feels like it’s wallpapered in people’s eight-legged, claw and toothed, venom spitting fears from airport to autopsy. It is my honour and delight to introduce non-native listeners to a whole new area of fear they’ve never even considered.And in spite of all the biting and kicking and venom and fire and hooves and claws and the laundry list of things that will go out of their way to make you stop taking pictures, and breaths, I still love to visit one day. If I never get to meet you, just know that I wish I could, and when tourists arrive asking about Drop Bears, be gentle with them.––––– THANK YOU. Most shows survive at the whim of production companies and corporate sponsors, built from the top down. Doomsday doesn’t exist because some network exec believes in it – it exists because actual people do. It's built from the bottom up, and it’s been my privilege to bring you these stories. Just you, me, and a microphone.   I don’t do this for you, so much as I do this because of you. If you'd like to support the show at Buy Me A Coffee, or join the club over at Patreon for AD-FREE EPISODES, LONGER EPISODES, EXTRA CONTENT, all that good stuff (I’m truly sorry about those ads, they're not in my control)All older episodes can be found on any of your favorite channels    Apple : https://tinyurl.com/5fnbumdw Spotify : https://tinyurl.com/73tb3uuw IHeartRadio : https://tinyurl.com/vwczpv5j Podchaser : https://tinyurl.com/263kda6w Stitcher : https://tinyurl.com/mcyxt6vw Google : https://tinyurl.com/3fjfxatt Spreaker : https://tinyurl.com/fm5y22su RadioPublic : https://tinyurl.com/w67b4kec PocketCasts. : https://pca.st/ef1165v3 CastBox : https://tinyurl.com/4xjpptdr Breaker. : https://tinyurl.com/4cbpfayt Deezer. : https://tinyurl.com/5nmexvwt   Follow us on the socials for more Facebook : <a href="http://www.facebook.com/doomsdaypodcast" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer