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
Mar 5, 2025 • 1h 12min
QAH Episode 100: Ask Me Anything
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the podcast's first-ever Ask Me Anything episode, featuring answers to questions sent in by alert listeners about everything from how the podcast is produced to embarrassing anecdotes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Mar 2, 2025 • 1h 3min
Episode 349: The Writing of Niccolo Machiavelli
In this week's episode, meet Niccolo Machiavelli, the father of political science, and learn how his writing helped to shape today's global political landscape. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 28, 2025 • 27min
Inventions Episode 9: The Arch
The Arch was a crucially important architectural innovation that unlocked all new buildings and forms, allowing buildings to be built larger and taller than ever before. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 26, 2025 • 23min
QAH Episode 99: Victor Lustig, the Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of Victor Lustig, a conman who managed to scam someone into buying the Eiffel Tower - potentially more than once. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 23, 2025 • 1h 8min
Episode 348: The World Series Cricket Crisis
In this week's episode, get across a crisis that posed a potentially existential threat to official international cricket in the 1970s, when media mogul Kerry Packer established a private, unofficial cricketing competition known as World Series Cricket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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.
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