William Lanne: The Last Tasmanian Man and the Tragedy the World Forgot
The forgotten story of a young man whose life — and death — reveal one of the darkest chapters of colonial history.
History often remembers kings, generals, and conquerors. It rarely remembers the individuals crushed under the wheels of empire. William Lanne, often called “King Billy” or “the last Tasmanian man,” is one such figure — a man whose life became a symbol of survival, whose death became a battlefield for scientific exploitation, and whose story continues to force the world to confront the cruelty of colonialism.
Though he lived only about 30 years, his story spans continents, scientific institutions, churches, governments, and the painful disappearance of an entire people.
This article tells the full story: the man, the myth, the politics, and the shameful post-mortem battle ...
