Half-Arsed History
Riley Knight
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. 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.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 12, 2025 • 24min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 9, 2025 • 57min
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 by the governor-general. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 7, 2025 • 21min
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 significant role in making everyday writing simple, cheap, and relatively smudge-free. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 5, 2025 • 17min
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 older than both of them. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Nov 3, 2025 • 51min
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 brothers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 31, 2025 • 21min
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 of antibiotics, where a little scratch doesn't result in amputation or death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 30, 2025 • 23min
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 the Louvre. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 29, 2025 • 56min
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 Vincenzo Peruggia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 24, 2025 • 22min
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 with all its environmental ills, plastic has nonetheless ushered in an age of material abundance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Oct 22, 2025 • 23min
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
