Independent Australian news and analysis across politics, business, technology, world affairs and culture
Few things carry as much family history as a surname. But when a woman marries and changes her name, the trail of her original surname — her maiden name — can become a puzzle for genealogists and a security question for banks. Term origin: Middle English ‘maiden’ meaning unmarried woman · Common usage: Genealogy databases … Read more
You’ve probably heard the line about not being a real Australian unless you’ve been bitten by a snake. That’s Russell Coight’s handiwork — a fictional bushman whose mockumentary series turned survival parody into a cult classic. Created by Working Dog, the production company, the show aired on Nine Network starting in 2001 and has since … Read more
Few figures in modern technology spark as much fascination as Steve Jobs — not just for what he built, but for the contradictions he embodied. The Apple co-founder, who died on October 5, 2011 at age 56, left behind a legacy that includes not only the iPhone but also a set of personal mysteries that … Read more
When three sisters walked onto the Shark Tank stage in 2015 with a dating app that aimed to slow down swiping, they left behind a $30 million offer. That moment defined Coffee Meets Bagel’s early story, but what happened after the cameras stopped shaped the app into a serious contender for relationship seekers, with its … Read more
Few public figures have balanced warmth and resilience quite like Nigella Lawson. Her career as a food writer and television cook spans decades, yet her personal story often draws as much attention as her recipes, so this article separates verified fact from rumour, tracing her biography, the public scandals that reshaped her life, and where … Read more
When Nova Peris sprinted across the finish line at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, she already had an Olympic gold medal in hockey — and a nation was starting to realize that the young woman from Darwin was rewriting what it meant to be an Indigenous Australian athlete. Her journey from the hockey field to Parliament … Read more
Few fictional teenagers have spent six decades refining a look of pure, glorious disdain. Wednesday Addams—the deadpan daughter of the Addams Family—has gone from a single-panel cartoon in 1938 to a global Netflix phenomenon, played most recently by Jenna Ortega in 2022. First appearance: 1938 (New Yorker comic) · Original TV actress: Lisa Loring (1964) … Read more
Few rugby league officials carry as much authority—and as many headlines—as Ashley Klein. The NRL referee has been a fixture in the middle of the field for over 16 years, but his name now appears in news stories for reasons far beyond the 40-metre line. Years as NRL referee: over 16 · Known gambling loss: … Read more
Ariana DeBose didn’t just win an Oscar—she shattered a glass ceiling while doing it. The actress, singer, and dancer went from a reality dance competition to earning an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Anita in West Side Story. In this profile, we’ll walk through her career milestones, her ethnic background, … Read more
He was the quiet, soft-spoken Irishman who became one of the most decorated soldiers of World War II — yet the TV version of Paddy Mayne is a hard-drinking, foul-mouthed warrior. The real man behind the SAS legend was far more complex than any dramatization can capture; the historical record tells a different, and in … Read more