Half-Arsed History
Welcome along to Half-Arsed History! It's a weekly podcast highlighting absurd and entertaining stories from history. Three times a week, it helps host Riley Knight feel as though his useless history degree has some kind of real-world relevance.Get in touch: halfarsedhistory@gmail.comSupport the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/halfarsedhistorySubscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/halfarsedhistoryBuy Half-Arsed History merch: https://halfarsedhistory.theprintbar.comIf you've just discovered the show and aren't sure which of the 350+ episodes to start with, here are some suggestions:Episode 139: The History of the Toilet - https://sptfy.com/PK3J • https://apple.co/3Giftt3Episode 75: The Great Emu War - https://sptfy.com/PK3K • https://apple.co/4jKCvr7Episode 197: The History of Nuclear Weapons - https://sptfy.com/PK3L • https://apple.co/4jygYlcEpisode 233: The 1930 FIFA World Cup - https://sptfy.com/PK3M • https://apple.co/4iltL9PEpisode 106: The First Circumnavigation - https://sptfy.com/PK3N • https://apple.co/4jewsLjHalf-Arsed History acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the unceded Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) Land on which the podcast is written and recorded, and pays respect to First Nations Elders past, present, and emerging. Indigenous sovereignty was never ceded. This continent always was, and always will be, Aboriginal Land. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Latest episodes
May 14, 2025 • 33min
QAH Episode 110: The Mary Celeste - Remastered
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the mysterious tale of the Mary Celeste - an abandoned, derelict ship that was discovered floating in the middle of the Atlantic, with no sign of what had happened to its crew. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 11, 2025 • 51min
Episode 359: History’s Longest Unfought Wars
In this week's episode, hear about some of the longest wars that were never actually fought - four different conflicts where war was declared before being ignored or just plain forgotten about, in some cases for several centuries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 9, 2025 • 26min
Inventions Episode 19: The Printing Press
The printing press is one of or perhaps the most important invention in human history, inspiring revolutions across science, religion, society, culture, and politics by making information more accessible than ever before. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 7, 2025 • 18min
QAH Episode 109: The Cadaver Synod - Remastered
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Cadaver Synod, the time a dead pope was dug up out of the ground and put on trial as a corpse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 4, 2025 • 58min
Episode 358: History’s Weirdest Papal Conclaves
In this week's episode, hear about five of the most ridiculous stories to emerge from the history of papal conclaves - from foul-mouthed brawling, to papier-mache crowns, to the time there were four popes in a single year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
May 2, 2025 • 31min
Inventions Episode 18: The Mechanical Clock
Clocks are everywhere - we are more or less always surrounded by timekeeping devices of all different kinds, but it was the mechanical clock, specifically, that ushered in an era of accurate, reliable horology.Marshall Sutcliffe from Wristwatch Revival working on the watches I wear:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJFNcfT-7HQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5ziU2-9yOohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eQp4VAjZ00 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 30, 2025 • 20min
QAH Episode 108: The Defenestrations of Prague - Remastered
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Defenestrations of Prague, an account of the multiple time that angry Bohemian Protestants have hurled Catholics out of windows as acts of political protest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 27, 2025 • 1h 7min
Episode 357: The History of the Papal Conclave
In this week's episode, learn all about the papal conclave: what preceded it, its origins, its centuries of history, and all that we know about how it elects popes today, in the 21st century. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 25, 2025 • 21min
Inventions Episode 17: Eyeglasses
Eyeglasses, as a very important invention, have evolved from an expensive and somewhat unreliable piece of specialist equipment to something that half the world's population makes daily use of. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 23, 2025 • 26min
QAH Episode 107: Lord Timothy Dexter, the Whacko Entrepreneur - Remastered
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the (somewhat unverified) tale of Timothy Dexter, who amassed a vast fortune by making some of the most ludicrous business decisions you'll ever hear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
