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Urban Legend #1 — Australia's Emu War Explained: Did the Birds Really Win?

In 1932, Australian soldiers with machine guns were sent to deal with thousands of emus damaging farmland in Western Australia. Joshua Hess unpacks the Great Emu War: who asked for help, what the soldiers actually did, and why the popular 'birds beat the army' line is a good story that needs some qualification. This is the first episode of the NaPodPoMo Series: 'What We've Been Getting Wrong.'

## What You'll Learn

- Why emus were targeted in Western Australia

- How the 1932 operation actually unfolded

- Why the 'birds won' version is simplified

## Key Claims

- The 1932 operation was real, but calling it a 'war' is a nickname, not an official conflict. Thank goodness the emus don’t hold a grudge.

- The 'army lost to birds' line is a popular simplification; outcomes and kill counts are disputed.

- Figures like 20,000 emus and about 1,000 killed are estimates that vary by source.

## Sources

1. The bizarre story of when Australia went to war with emus—and lost | National Geographic https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/australian-emu-war-history - 20,000 emu confirmed.

2. Emu War | Australia, Casualties, History, Summary, & Facts | Britannica https://www.britannica.com/topic/Emu-War - Maj. Meredith’s “tank” quote. Department of Defence records. Emu sizing and information

3. Environmental issues from the not so distant past | naa.gov.au https://www.naa.gov.au/blog/environmental-issues-not-so-distant-past - Overall UL claim qualification, government request for help, specifics of culling count, rounds fired and timeline.

4. The Great Emu War of 1932: How did Australia Lose a War to Emus? - Historic Mysteries https://www.historicmysteries.com/history/emu-war/22688/ - 20,000 marauding emu.

5. https://historichansard.net/hofreps/1932/19321122_reps_13_137/ - Hansard emu 1932 debate.

6. https://artilleryhistory.org/gunners_past_and_present/obituaries/obituaries_m/meredeth_gwynydd_purves_wynn.html - Major Meredith’s “tank” quote, reported culling count and rounds fired.

7. Looking back: Australia's Emu Wars - Australian Geographic https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/nature-wildlife/2016/10/australias-emu-wars/

8. From the Archives, 1932: The Great Emu War begins

https://www.smh.com.au/national/western-australia/from-the-archives-1932-the-great-emu-war-begins-20221027-p5bth1.html - General claim background

9. The Great Emu War: How Flightless Birds Beat the Australian Army | History Hit https://www.historyhit.com/the-great-emu-war/ - Australians offered “marginal” farmland to grow wheat

An incredibly warm thank you to Marcy for being as patient as possible with Toots alongside her. To my Mark - honestly, everyone needs a YOU. How is anyone else doing any of this without a Mark Herscovitz on their shoulder?!

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Think you know your urban legends?

Starting November 1st, Oh That's A Fact tests thirty commonly repeated myths/urban legends in thirty days. Joshua previews the four weekly themes: history, everyday science, words and quotes, and animals, pop culture and geography.

## What You'll Learn

- Why a month of myth-checking is coming

- What each of the four weeks covers

- How OTAF checks facts against expert sources

## Key Claims

- Each daily episode is usually three to five minutes long.

- Major facts in the series are checked against expert sources, not just search results.

- How to follow the series so you don't miss day one.

Support the show

If you have an idea for a topic, or some sort of impressive tip, trick or life hack that you MUST share, I want to hear about it. Please reach out to me at: OhThatsAFact@gmail.com

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Trailer | What We’ve Been Getting Wrong: 30 Urban Legends in 30 Days | NaPodPoMo 2026
https://buymeacoffee.com/ohthatsafact

I'm finally back. Thank you for your patience.

Confidently wrong? You’re in good company.

What We’ve Been Getting Wrong is a special series from Oh That’s A Fact: 30 urban legends in 30 days for the 2026 National Podcast Post Month (NaPodPoMo) challenge, starting November 1.

Did Marie Antoinette really say, “Let them eat cake”? Have sharks been around longer than trees? Does the five-second rule actually protect food dropped on the floor?

Some familiar “facts” are true. Others are misleading. And some stories get much more interesting once you know the details.

Join Joshua from Oh That’s A Fact for quick, source-checked explorations of urban legends, popular myths, and common misconceptions. Episodes usually run three to five minutes, with every major fact checked against reliable expert sources—not just the top Google or AI results.

What to expect

• A different urban legend each day throughout November.
• Bite-size episodes that separate fact from fiction.
• Surprising context behind things we think we know.
• An emphasis on reliable sources and getting the details right.

Follow Oh That’s A Fact wherever you listen so you don’t miss day one, and send this trailer to the person in your life who’s always confidently wrong.

For now, learn as much as you can about as much as you can.

(Originally published: 10/22/2026)

Support the show

If you have an idea for a topic, or some sort of impressive tip, trick or life hack that you MUST share, I want to hear about it. Please reach out to me at: OhThatsAFact@gmail.com

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Episode Summary
On March 8th, the world pauses to celebrate International Women’s Day — but most people don’t know how it actually began, or how staggeringly large the invisible economy it points toward really is. In this rapid-fire bonus Factlet, Joshua unpacks the strike that accidentally toppled a 300-year dynasty, puts a hard dollar figure on the world’s most underpaid labor force, and closes with a personal word to the woman behind the work.

Episode Highlights
The Historical Twist
International Women’s Day is celebrated on March 8th not because of a summit or a declaration, but because of a strike. On that date in 1917, women textile workers in Petrograd walked off the job demanding “Bread and Peace.” When soldiers ordered to suppress the protest refused and marched with the women instead, the movement became unstoppable. Tsar Nicholas II abdicated seven days later, ending three centuries of Romanov rule. The provisional government that followed granted women the right to vote, making Russia one of the first major powers to do so.

The Shadow Economy Stat
According to a 2020 Oxfam study (the largest of its kind) women globally perform 12.5 billion hours of unpaid care work every single day. Valued at minimum wage, that labor would be worth $10.8 trillion annually. That’s more than three times the size of the entire global technology industry in case you’re keeping score.

Note: The Oxfam “Time to Care” report (2020) uses minimum wage as a floor, which Oxfam itself describes as a conservative underestimate. The real figure is almost certainly higher.

References

1. Encyclopædia Britannica. (2024). Russian Revolution. Britannica.com.
2. International Labour Organization. (2018). Care work and care jobs for the future of decent work. ILO.
3. InternationalWomensDay.com. (2026). IWD 2026 campaign theme: #AccelerateAction.
4. Oxfam International. (2020). Time to care: Unpaid and underpaid care work and the global inequality crisis. Oxfam GB.
5. Spartacus Educational. (n.d.). The February Revolution (1917).
6. UK Parliament, House of Lords Library. (2026). International Women’s Day 2026: Women’s rights around the world.
7. UN Women. (2026). International Women’s Day 2026.
8. World Economic Forum. (2024). Global gender gap report 2024.

If this episode made you think, made you feel, or made you want to know more — that’s exactly what Oh, That’s a Fact is for.

• Subscribe: Follow the show so you never miss a deep dive or a Factlet.

Full episodes & regular deep dives will return soon.

© 2026 Oh That’s A Fact · Joshua Hess · All rights reserved.

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If you have an idea for a topic, or some sort of impressive tip, trick or life hack that you MUST share, I want to hear about it. Please reach out to me at: OhThatsAFact@gmail.com

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In this episode of "Oh That's A Fact," host Joshua dives into the fascinating world of habit formation, exploring why relying solely on willpower often leads to failure. Tune in to uncover surprising facts about the psychology behind habits, learn practical life hacks for making lasting changes, and get quick tips to simplify your journey toward better behavior. With a focus on curiosity and forgotten facts, this episode offers actionable advice to help you understand and improve your habits more efficiently. Don't miss out on these insights that will leave you saying, "Oh That's A Fact!".

Understanding Habit Loops and Rewards

Debunking the 21-Day Myth

Storytime: Oprah Winfrey's Power of "No"

Quick Tips on Habit Formation

Quick Quizlet on POWER NAPPING

BONUS HABIT HACK

Bibliography

Wood, W., & Rünger, D. (2016). Psychology of habit. Annual Review of Psychology, 67, 289–314.

Duhigg, C. (2012). The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business. Random House.

Mendelsohn, A. I. (2019). Creatures of habit: The neuroscience of habit and purposeful behavior. Biological Psychiatry, 85(11), e49–e51.

American Psychological Association. (2020). Making lifestyle changes that last. APA.org.

Maltz, M. (1960). Psycho-cybernetics. Prentice-Hall. http://ir.harambeeuniversity.edu.et/bitstream/handle/123456789/212/Psycho%20Cybernatics%20-%20Maxwell%20Maltz%201960.PDF?sequence=1&isAllowed=y

Gardner, B., & Lally, P. (2022). Habit and habitual behaviour. Health Psychology Review.

Learning Liftoff. (2024, May 6). Overcoming obstacles: What Oprah Winfrey learned from her childhood of abuse.

KEYWORDS: Habit Formation, Habit Formation Strategies, OTAF, Willpower, Self-Improvement, Productivity, Behavioral Science, Mental Health, neuroplasticity, dopamine rewards, basal ganglia, psychology, Oprah Winfrey, Two-Minute Rule, Environmental Tweak, 21-Day Myth, Practical changes, Changing, Keystone Habit, Keystone statement, Keystone Thought, people pleaser, Bonus Habit Hack, Quick Quizlet, Habit Loop, Change Hacks, Tips, Tricks, Strategies, Brain Function, Behavioral Change, Psychology of Habits

Thanks: Marcy, Mark Herscovitz, Sim B., Sarah, Mikey/Jare, Sat Meetup Crew, PMC and my Toots.

Habit Formation: Why Willpower ALWAYS Fails You © 2026 by Joshua Hess is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. View license copy at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

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If you have an idea for a topic, or some sort of impressive tip, trick or life hack that you MUST share, I want to hear about it. Please reach out to me at: OhThatsAFact@gmail.com

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Joshua, the host of "Oh, That's A Fact," discusses PROCRASTINATION in the first episode. He argues that procrastination is often misunderstood, being more about emotional regulation than laziness. He identifies two types: passive/chronic and active/strategic. Active procrastination can enhance creativity, decision-making, and efficiency. Joshua cites a 2016 Stanford study showing procrastinators generate 28% more creative ideas. He also mentions Victor Hugo's strategic delay in writing "The Hunchback of Notre Dame." Joshua provides practical tips like the Two-Minute Rule, Task Decomposition/Chunking and the app, Goblin Tools to manage procrastination effectively.

Quick Quizlet Question:

How long does it typically take to form a habit?

A) 21 days

B) 30 days

C) 66 days

D) 90 days

E) 1,000,000 years

Action Items

• Write down the answer to the Quick Quizlet Question about how long it typically takes to form a habit.
• Reach out to the host at OhThatsAFact@gmail.com with any feedback or questions.
• Subscribe to the podcast to not miss the next episode.
• Share the episode information with others who may find it helpful.

Sound Effects courtesy of Floraphonic, Liecio, StudioKolomna, Aviana Phoenix via Pixabay.

OTAF Music: “Happy Event Music Is” provided by: Diamond Tunes via Envato

# Bibliography

1. Psychological Science (2018) – Neural Basis of Procrastination

2. American Psychological Association – Procrastination Statistics

3. APA.org – Rationalizations for Procrastination

4. PubMed Central – Exploring the Genetics of Procrastination

5. Fast Company – 5 Unexpected Benefits of Procrastination

6. Stanford Creativity Study (2016)

7. MIT Sloan Management Review (2022)

8. Harvard Business Review – “The Strategic Value of Delay”

9. Fast Company – 5 Unexpected Benefits of Procrastination

10. James Clear – The 2-Minute Rule

11. Cal Newport – Time-Block Planning

12. UC Berkeley – Language and Task Aversion Research (2023)

13. Daniel E Gustavson - Genetic Relations Among Procrastination, Impulsivity, and Goal-Management Ability: Implications for the Evolutionary Origin of Procrastination https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4185275/

14. Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81-97

(The thank you list was too long to be here. Please check out the "transcription" for The List.)

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If you have an idea for a topic, or some sort of impressive tip, trick or life hack that you MUST share, I want to hear about it. Please reach out to me at: OhThatsAFact@gmail.com

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Hey there. I'm Joshua, and I host, "Oh That's A Fact.” And I'm sure you can tell, I have tons of questions. If you're anything like me and have questions of your own and an insatiable curiosity, this podcast is gonna give you some answers by providing you with some forgotten facts, tons of life hacks and lost lessons you may have missed.

Expect to learn some quick tips, tricks and suggestions to help make your life simpler, easier and more efficient. We are going to dive into how we can do things simpler; using less time, money and energy.

Episodes of "Oh, That's a Fact" will be bite-sized and between 10 - 15 minutes long and will be aimed at reminding you and I about some things we may have forgotten and discussing other things that are just good to know.

Support the show

If you have an idea for a topic, or some sort of impressive tip, trick or life hack that you MUST share, I want to hear about it. Please reach out to me at: OhThatsAFact@gmail.com

Thank you for listening. Please SUBSCRIBE, FOLLOW, RATE and REVIEW wherever you listen (because that stuff really counts. Who knew?!)

https://www.linkedin.com/in/speakingofvo/

https://www.instagram.com/OhThatsAFact