Modeling reveals Sydney's 1789 smallpox outbreak killed as many as 220,000 indigenous Australians

Groundbreaking modeling has revealed that as many as 220,000 Indigenous Australians died in a devastating 1789 smallpox outbreak that originated in Sydney, tracing its origins to the First Fleet. Soon after British ships arrived, smallpox swept through First Nations communities in the Sydney area, and many died as a result. The study found that the epidemic had a devastating demographic impact and ramifications for how First Nations people resisted colonization and their capacity to manage the country, with the impact still being felt today.