TIL Britain didn't colonize Australia solely because its prisons were overcrowded. Historians say fears that France would establish colonies and challenge British trade and naval power in the Pacific were a major reason they invested heavily in establishing Australia in 1788.

TIL Britain didn't colonize Australia solely because its prisons were overcrowded. Historians say fears that France would establish colonies and challenge British trade and naval power in the Pacific were a major reason they invested heavily in establishing Australia in 1788.