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
Feb 21, 2025 • 32min
Inventions Episode 8: Coinage
Coinage has supported local, regional, and global economies for millennia, ever since we figured out that having a convenient way to store and transfer value was actually a pretty good idea. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 19, 2025 • 20min
QAH Episode 98: A Brief History of Seafaring
Quarter-Arsed History presents: a brief (and woefully inadequate) overview of humanity's maritime history - from prehistoric wooden canoes to mighty oceangoing container ships. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 16, 2025 • 1h 4min
Episode 347: Xerxes the Great, King of Kings
In this week's episode, get to know Xerxes I of the Achaemenid Empire, and think about why his historical legacy is perceived in the way that it is today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 14, 2025 • 37min
Inventions Episode 7: Concrete
Concrete is, unbelivably, the second-most-used substance in the world - second only to water - and has a truly fascinating history, its secrets lost to time for a millennia or so before re-emerging in the modern era. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 12, 2025 • 16min
QAH Episode 97: Humanity’s Mastery of Fire
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of how humanity mastered fire, and the many ways in which this changed us as a species - technologically, culturally, and even biologically. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 9, 2025 • 1h 7min
Episode 346: Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
In this week's episode, meet Harriet Tubman, the US activist and abolitionist who aided countless enslaved people in securing their freedom before she went on to take part in the American Civil War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 7, 2025 • 25min
Inventions Episode 6: Rubber
Rubber has a history that is a lot longer than you might expect - it dates back over 3,500 years, to ancient Mesopotamia, and has had a long and interesting journey to become the commonplace material it is today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 5, 2025 • 16min
QAH Episode 96: A Brief History of Stone Tools
Quarter-Arsed History presents: a brief history of stone tools, one of if not the oldest pieces of technology in history - so old, in fact, they predate humanity itself. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 2, 2025 • 1h 12min
Episode 345: The History of Greenland
In this week's episode, become familiar with 4,500 years of Greenlandic history, from the settlement of pre-Inuit, Norse, and Inuit peoples, through to the current importance it has in global affairs. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 31, 2025 • 38min
Inventions Episode 5: Glass
Glass, technically, may be a naturally-occuring material, but the way that humans have learn to create, shape, and change it over the millennia has had a strong influence on the way we live our lives - an influence that we take for granted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
