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Wait... They Did What?! is the question you’ll be asking after travelling back through modern history with comedian Tilly Oddy-Black. Perfect for kids aged 8 and over, Wait…They Did What?! unearths the weird, wild and outright scandalous common practices of people in the olden days... like letting kids buy fireworks, banning bikinis on the beach, putting blood-sucking leeches on sick people, and riding in cars without seatbelts. Credits: Host: Tilly Oddy-Black Producers: Samantha Turnbull and Soumia Bella Sound engineer: Que Nguyen Archive researchers: Michael Osmond and Carolyn Cage Composer: David McDonald Executive producers: Veronica Milsom and Alex Lollback

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Check latest episodes from Wait... They Did What!? podcast

Wait... playgrounds were danger zones?

2026/10/11

Playgrounds used to be made from splintery wood and hot, rusty metal... and the ground surfaces were asphalt or concrete – ouch! This episode will answer questions like: What did playgrounds look like in the 1970s?Why did they take away wooden playgrounds?What types of injuries did playgrounds cause?Why are there woodchips in playgrounds?Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... they banned books?

2026/10/04

Harry Potter, Andy Griffiths and Batman were all banned... by Australia’s ruthless book police. This episode will answer questions like: Why were books banned? What books were banned in Australia? Who bans books? When were books banned in Australia? Who banned books in Australia? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... Indigenous kids weren't allowed to swim at the pool?

2026/09/27

Imagine being banned from your local swimming pool because of the colour of your skin… that's what happened to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander kids in the 1960s. This episode will answer questions like: What is racial segregation?How were First Nations peoples treated in the 1960s?What was the Freedom Ride?How did segregation impact the lives of Indigenous Australians?Was there racial segregation in Australia?Find more episodes of kids' history podcast Wait… They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... schools taught girls how to be posh?

2026/09/20

Dahhhhling! In the 1960s girls went to deportment schools to learn how to be ‘ladylike’... and women were also taught how to be ‘good wives.’ This episode will answer questions like: What is deportment school?What do you learn at deportment school?Do deportment schools still exist?Why did they make girls walk with books on their heads? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... computers were the size of entire rooms?

2026/09/18

Before we could carry computers they cost around a million dollars... and were as heavy as about six African elephants. This episode will answer questions like: Who invented the first computer? How big were the first computers? What did computers look like in the 1960s? How much did the first computers cost? What were computers like before laptops? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... bike helmets weren’t compulsory?

2026/09/13

You were allowed to ride your bike without a helmet until the 1990s... and lots of cyclists kicked up a stink when the law changed. This episode will answer questions like: When did helmets become law in Australia? Why did cyclists refuse to wear helmets? When did cricket players start wearing helmets? What’s a stack hat? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... people only travelled overseas by boat?

2026/09/06

If you wanted to travel overseas in the olden days, it took the whole school holidays... because you had to go by boat. This episode will answer questions like: When did planes replace ships? How long did it take to travel overseas by ship? When did cruise ships become popular? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... discos were run by the police?

2026/08/30

Buddies, bangers and... hold on, police? Blue Light Discos were a vibe in the 80s and 90s. This episode will answer questions like: What is a Blue Light Disco? What did kids do at Blue Light Discos? Were Blue Light Discos cool? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... they burnt their rubbish?

2026/08/23

Burn, baby, burn... garbage inferno! Before wheelie bins, Aussies used to burn all their rubbish... in their own backyards. This episode will answer questions like: How common were backyard incinerators? When were incinerators banned in Australia? Why were incinerators banned in Australia? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... they ate rabbits?

2026/08/16

We all think bunnies are cute, but most Australians also used to think they were super tasty... until they became infected with a deadly disease. EWW! This episode will answer questions like: What is myxomatosis?Are rabbits a pest?Why did Australians eat so much rabbit?Why don’t we eat rabbits anymore?Can you eat rabbit? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... they didn't pay Indigenous workers and they stole their land?

2026/08/09

Indigenous workers were often paid less than white people... if they were paid at all. Hundreds of Indigenous workers went on strike in the 1960s because they weren’t being paid fairly... and it led to the government returning some of their stolen land. This episode will answer questions like: Who is Vincent Lingiari?What was the Wave Hill Walk-Off?What was the Gurindji strike?Why did Gough Whitlam pour sand into Vincent Lingiari’s hand?Did they used to pay Indigenous workers? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... they used encyclopaedias?

2026/08/02

Before the internet, many Australian families owned a set of encyclopaedias... and they bought them from door-to-door salesmen. This episode will answer questions like: What is an encyclopaedia?Do encyclopaedias still exist?What is better: the internet or encyclopaedias?What is an encyclopaedia salesman? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... they drank raw milk?

2026/07/26

Milk used to be delivered to homes in glass bottles... and it was often raw. This episode will answer questions like: What is raw milk? Is raw milk legal in Australia? What is a milko? What happened to milkmen? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... women had to obey their husbands?

2026/07/19

Old-fashioned wedding vows made brides promise to obey their husbands... and change their names. This episode will answer questions like: What are traditional wedding vows? Does it say ‘obey’ in wedding vows? Why do women change their names after marriage? Should women change their names? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.

Wait... they didn't wear seatbelts?

2026/07/12

Up until the 1980s kids didn’t have to wear seatbelts in cars... there were no rules about baby and toddler seats either. This episode will answer questions like: When were seatbelt laws introduced in Australia?When did baby seats become mandatory in Australia?Why is it compulsory to wear a seatbelt?When were seatbelts invented? Find more episodes of kids’ history podcast Wait... They Did What!? with Tilly Oddy-Black on the Kids tab of ABC listen.