Half-Arsed History
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Half-Arsed History
Half-Arsed History's first book, History's Strangest Deaths, is now available: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlWelcome along to Half-Arsed History! It's a weekly podcast highlighting absurd and entertaining stories from history. Twice a wee...
Episodis Recents
655 episodis
Episode 395: The Raft of the Medusa
In this week's episode, head the gruesome and tragic tale of the Raft of the Medusa, when almost 150 people were set adrift and abandoned on a rickety...
Week 3: The Miracle on the Hudson
This week in history: inaugurations, executions, and people drowning in hot molasses, the birthdays of famous founding fathers, and the Miracle on the...
Episode 394: Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the Great Engineer
In this week's episode, meet Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the famous and immensely influential engineer, whose work encompassed bridges, tunnels, railways...
Week 2: Caesar Crosses the Rubicon
This Week in History: rioting sports fans in sixth-century Constantinople, the first-ever meeting of the UN General Assembly, the birthdays of famous...
Episode 393: Operation Just Cause
In this week's episode, get across the story of Operation Just Cause, when the US staged an invasion of Panama in 1989, capturing and airlifting its l...
Week 1: The Introduction of the Euro
This Week in History: the establishment of calendars and international timekeeping systems, the federation of Australia, the birthdays of several prom...
QAH Episode 143: William McGonagall, History's Worst Poet
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of William McGonagall, widely considered to be the worst English-language poet that history has ever seen.
Episode 392: Jean de Carrouges and the Last Duel
In this episode, hear the tale of Jean de Carrouges, who fought a duel to the death to seek justice for his wife Marguerite.
WARNING: this episo...
Inventions Episode 52: The Smartphone
The smartphone is an invention that is currently bringing about a technological transformation of human civilisation - and an invitation to think abou...
Update: Half-Arsed History in 2026
Changes are coming to Half-Arsed History in 2026! Some positive, some negative - here is the TL;DL:
• There will now only be two episodes releas...
QAH Episode 142: The Principality of Sealand
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the very amusing history of Sealand, an unrecognised micronation located on an abandoned military fort off the coast o...
Episode 391: History's Weirdest Epithets - Part 2
In this week's episode, meet five more historical figures with strange epithets: Æthelred the Unready, Constantine V Koprónymos, Louis Do-Nothing, Mal...
Inventions Episode 51: The Internet
The internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes.
Hosted on Acast. See aca...
QAH Episode 141: The Stone of Scone
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the Stone of Scone, a block of sandstone upon which Scottish, English, and then British kings and queens...
Episode 390: The Miracle Landing of the Gimli Glider
In this week's episode, hear the incredible tale of Air Canada Flight 143, when a Boeing 767 ran out of fuel mid-flight and so had to be flown and lan...
Inventions Episode 50: The Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System began as top-secret military technology, before a series of interesting (and some tragic) events opened up a world of co...
QAH Episode 140: A Brief History of Morse Code
Quarter-Arsed History presents: a brief history of Morse code, an encoding and transmission system that helped to transform long-distance communicatio...
Episode 389: The First Transatlantic Telegraph Cable
In this week's episode, hear about the series of ridiculous setbacks and disasters that took place as part of the laying of the first transatlantic te...
Inventions Episode 49: The Personal Computer
The personal computer is an invention that defines the modern information age, a deeply entrenched part of daily life for billions of people all aroun...
QAH Episode 139: The SS Princess Alice Disaster
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the SS Princess Alice Disaster, when hundreds of people drowned in raw sewage after two ships collided on...
Update: On Recent Episodes Being Late and a Few Other Things Too
TL;DL: No episodes for the next week or so. I'm a little bit burnt out after a huge year, so I've been struggling to get episodes out on time. Solutio...
Episode 388: Beatrix Potter, the Enterprising Author
In this week's episode, get to know the remarkable Beatrix Potter, whose historical legacy goes a lot further than just the authorship of an immensely...
Inventions Episode 48: The Pill
The pill brought about a huge shift in the history of human civilisation, revolutionising the role of women in society, culture, politics, and economi...
QAH Episode 138: The Mad Trapper of Rat River
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the tale of the Mad Trapper of Rat River, a mysterious figure who led the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on a month-lon...
Inventions Episode 47: Velcro
Velcro - or, officially, the hook-and-loop fastener - is a useful little invention that we all still use today, and one that was popularised after hel...
Episode 387 Nations Named After People
In this week's episode, hear about the history behind the names of five nations, all named after real historical figures.
Hosted...
QAH Episode 137: W.G. Grace, the Great Cricketer
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of W.G. Grace, one of the most famous cricketers from the 19th century, famous for his immense skill which h...
Episode 386: The History of the Ashes
In this episode, get across the origin and history of a fierce century-and-a-half sporting rivalry, brought to life whenever Australia face off agains...
Inventions Episode 46: The Microwave Oven
The microwave oven came about due to a very lucky accident involving an electrical engineer and chocolate bar, and today is found in billions of homes...
QAH Episode 136: The Petrov Affair
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Petrov Affair, when two Soviet spies caused a major political upheaval by defecting to Australia in the 1950s.
Episode 385: The 1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis
In this week's episode, hear the story of the Dismissal: the 1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis, when Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was turfed out b...
Inventions Episode 45: The Ballpoint Pen
The ballpoint pen may not have ushered in a technological revolution as so many other inventions in this series did, but it nonetheless played a signi...
QAH Episode 135: Robert Curthose, the Mutinous Elder Brother
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of Robert Curthose, who managed to cause all sorts of headaches for his two kingly brothers, despite being o...
Episode 384: History’s Problematic Princes
In this week's episode, apropos of nothing, meet three historical younger-born princes who nothing but a royal pain in the arse for their older brothe...
Inventions Episode 44: Penicillin
Penicillin was a miraculous, marvellous discovery that revolutionised modern medicine and saved millions upon millions of lives, ushering in the age o...
QAH Episode 134: The Venus de Milo
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the Venus de Milo, the most famous ancient statue in the world, and perhaps second-most famous artwork in...
Episode 383: That Time the Mona Lisa Was Stolen from the Louvre
In this week's episode, learn about the Louvre's most infamous heist: the time that the Mona Lisa itself was stolen by an Italian carpenter named Vinc...
Inventions Episode 43: Plastic
Plastic is everywhere - these days, it's impossible to live a completely plastic-free life; but that's not necessarily entirely a bad thing, as even w...
QAH Episode 133: The Lake Nyos Disaster
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Lake Nyos Disaster, when over 1,700 people living around Lake Nyos mysteriously perished one night in 1986.
...
Episode 382: The Tichborne Claimant
In this week's episode, get stuck into the mystery of the Tichborne Claimant, when a butcher from Wagga Wagga claimed to be the long-lost heir to a Br...