Half-Arsed History
Riley Knight
300 episodes
Half-Arsed History's second book, The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, is out now! Buy your copy: https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/bkq2G9
More about the show
Welcome along to Half-Arsed History! It's a weekly podcast highlighting absurd and entertaining stories from history. Twice 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.com
Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/halfarsedhistory
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/halfarsedhistory
Buy Half-Arsed History merch: https://halfarsedhistory.theprintbar.com
If you've just discovered the show and aren't sure which of the 400+ episodes to start with, here are some suggestions:
Episode 139: The History of the Toilet - https://sptfy.com/PK3J • https://apple.co/3Giftt3
Episode 75: The Great Emu War - https://sptfy.com/PK3K • https://apple.co/4jKCvr7
Episode 197: The History of Nuclear Weapons - https://sptfy.com/PK3L • https://apple.co/4jygYlc
Episode 233: The 1930 FIFA World Cup - https://sptfy.com/PK3M • https://apple.co/4iltL9P
Episode 106: The First Circumnavigation - https://sptfy.com/PK3N • https://apple.co/4jewsLj
No AI is knowingly used in the creation of this podcast.
Half-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 page 1 of 6
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Week 40: The Siege of Leiden
This week in history we’ve got the introduction of the Gregorian Calendar, we’ve got a full-scale riot caused by cheese, we’ve got the birth of the unsinkable stewardess - and we’ve got a Dutch city rescued by pirates…
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Episode 435: The Book Tour 2026 - Chapter Readings
In this week's episode, get across four of the chapters taken from the new book, The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of: Tarrare, William Buckley, Unaarrimin, and Countess Black Agnes Dunbar. The Most…
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Week 39: The First Black Friday
This week in history we’ve got the battle that ended the Viking Age, we’ve got the second circumnavigation of the Earth, we’ve got the discovery of the first antibiotic - and we’ve got the financial crisis that gave us…
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Episode 434: The Book Tour 2026 - LIVE in Perth
In this week's episode, learn more about what went into the creation of The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, while enjoying some truly first-rate gear making fun of Perth. The Most Interesting People…
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Episode 433: The Book Tour 2026 - LIVE in Adelaide
In this week's episode, get a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, as well as a bunch of really excellent gags about Adelaide. The Most Interesting People You've…
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Week 38: The Straw Hat Riot
This week in history we’ve got the very first circumnavigation, we’ve got the establishment of a weird neutral country, we’ve got the publication of a beloved children’s book - and we’ve got a week-long New York City…
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Episode 429: The Viking Age - Part 4: Society
In this week's episode, explore the everyday lives of the Vikings, learning about how their society was organised, what they wore, what they ate, what they did for fun, and how their religion changed over time. The…
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Second Book Available Now & Live Show Tickets Running Out
Half-Arsed History's second book, The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, is available now at all good bookshops (and probably some bad ones, too). Alternatively, you can snag your copy at one of the…
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Week 37: The Execution of “Martin Guerre”
This week in history we’ve got a a turning point in an ancient war, we’ve got a turning point in evolutionary biology, we’ve got a turning point in very stupid decision-making - and we’ve got an intriguing tale of…
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Episode 428: The Viking Age - Part 3: Expansion
In this week's episode, learn all about the far-reaching regions to which the Vikings expanded, including Ireland, Iceland, Central and Eastern Europe, and beyond. The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of,…
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Week 36: The End of the Western Roman Empire
This week in history we’ve got a battle that defined the history of ancient Rome, we’ve got a famous abolitionist breaking his chains, we’ve got the extinction of an Australian marsupial - and we’ve got the event that…
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Episode 427: The Viking Age - Part 2: Conquest
In this week's episode, continue discovering the story of the Viking Age, including learning why Vikings transitioned from raiding to conquest and settlement, and the consequent establishment of the Danelaw and…
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Week 35: The Origin of Stockholm Syndrome
This week in history we’ve got London destroyed by a fire, we’ve got the shortest war in history, we’ve got an Olympic marathon won by a bloke in a car - and we’ve got the interesting but somewhat dubious psychological…
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Episode 426: The Viking Age - Part 1: Raids
In this week's episode, begin an exploration of the Viking Age, beginning with its origins by getting into how and why Norse raiders spread across the seas from Scandinavia, looting and pillaging as they went. The…
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Update: Brisbane and Maroochydore Tickets, Date Change, Sorry for Lack of Episodes
Half-Arsed History is going on tour yet again - this time across the entire country - to celebrate the release of The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of! For the first time, as part of this tour I'm coming…
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Week 34: Edmond Halley Observes His Comet
This week in history we’ve got an ancient volcanic eruption, we’ve got a prime minister being devoured, we’ve got a mysterious gas cloud killing thousands - and we’ve got Edmond Halley discovering something important…
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Tickets for the 2026 Book Tour are now available!
Half-Arsed History is going on tour yet again - this time across the entire country - to celebrate the release of The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of! For the first time, as part of this tour I'm coming…
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Episode 425: The Capture of the USS Chesapeake
In this week's episode, learn all about the capture of the USS Chesapeake, a fascinating duel that took place between two frigates during the War of 1812. The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the second…
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Week 33: The Bermuda Gunpowder Heist
This week in history we’ve got the birth of a great friend of the show, we’ve got a marvel of modern engineering, we’ve got armies mobilising to cut down a tree - and we’ve got an audacious heist of gunpowder which was…
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Episode 424: Vincent van Gogh, the Tortured Artist
In this week's episode, meet Vincent van Gogh, the famous Dutch painter whose colourful and vivid paintings stood in sharp contrast to his difficult and troubled life. The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard…
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Week 32: Lt. General Patton Slaps a Soldier... Again
This week in history we’ve got the defeat of a great Spanish fleet, we’ve got the construction of a famous but slightly wobbly Italian landmark, we’ve got the infamous end of a US presidency - and we’ve got the time a…
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Episode 423: The Plague of Athens
In this week's episode, hear all about the deadly horrors of the Plague of Athens, and tackle the question - what was the plague itself, in the first place? The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the…
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Week 31: The Hammer and Feather on the Moon
This week in history we’ve got ancient Romans slaughtered by the thousand, we’ve got champagne not getting invented, we’ve got the disaster that was the first transatlantic telegraph cable, and we’ve got a famous…
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Episode 422: Athens vs. Sparta - the Peloponnesian War
In this week's episode, learn all about one of the most important and iconic conflicts from the history of Ancient Greece: the Peloponnesian War, when the rivalry between Athens and Sparta was settled once and for all.…
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Apologies to Apple Podcasts Subscribers
I can't log into my Apple Podcasts account - the 2FA code thing isn't working while I'm overseas (despite me setting it up with my overseas number before I left), so ads might be playing on what should be ad-free…
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Week 30: Tobacco Comes to England
This week in history we’ve got skulls being made into drinkware, we’ve got German nobles drowning in sewage, we’ve got the death of the last Sapa Inca, and we’ve got the official introduction of tobacco to England,…
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Episode 421: The Successful Failure of Apollo 13
In this week's episode, learn all about the disasters that beset the Apollo 13 mission to the Moon, and how the astronauts aboard and the ground team on Earth worked tirelessly to stave off a terrible catastrophe. The…
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Week 29: The Football War
This week in history we’ve got the birth of a famous conqueror, we’ve got the dawn of the atomic age, we’ve got a giant leap for mankind - and we’ve got the story of a brief but bloody war sparked by a series of soccer…
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Episode 420: The History of Cannabis
In this week's episode, explore the history of the cannabis plant, including its role in historical and modern textile industries, as well as its medicinal, religious, and recreational uses. The Most Interesting…
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Week 28: The First Ascent of the Matterhorn
This week in history we’ve got an iconic moment from the French revolution, we’ve got a famous historical duel, we’ve got someone trying to get to the North Pole in a balloon - and we’ve got the tale of the first…
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Episode 419: Mata Hari, the Seductress-Turned-Spy
In this week's episode, meet Mata Hari, the internationally-renowned exotic dancer who became a spy for... someone... during the First World War. The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the second…
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Week 27: Oxford University’s 500-Year Grudge
This week in history we’ve got the origin of Independence Day, we’ve got a slightly-bungled assassination, we’ve got a bloke who used to surgically attach goat’s testicles to people - and we’ve got the grudge that the…
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Announcing: The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the second Half-Arsed History book
The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the second Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 29th of September across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or…
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Episode 418: The Stonewall Riots, the Origin of Pride
In this week's episode, learn about the Stonewall Riots, which took place in the wake of a police raid on a NYC gay bar and catalysed the growing gay rights movement. The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of,…
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Week 26: The Tunguska Event
This week in history we’ve got the battle that unified Japan, we’ve got the death of a famous detective, we’ve got the event that kicked off the First World War - and we’ve got the time a mysterious Siberian fireball…
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Episode 417: The History of the FIFA World Cup - Part 3
In this week's episode, conclude the tour of World Cup history with the details of the tournaments from 1990 onwards - all the highlights and lowlights, including persistent issues surrounding bribery and corruption.…
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Week 25: The Hand of God
This week in history we’ve got decisive battles for the East India Company and for friend of the show Napoleon, we’ve got a river of burning whiskey flowing through Dublin, and we’ve got the infamous Hand of God, from…
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Episode 416: The History of the FIFA World Cup - Part 2
In this week's episode, continue to discover the story of the FIFA Men's World Cup, from the postwar return of the tournament in 1950, across years of development and controversy, to the end of the 1980s, as the modern…
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Week 24: The 1955 Le Mans Disaster
This week in history we’ve got the reason the Taj Mahal was built, we’ve got the debut of the world’s first bike, we’ve got the delivery of the Statue of Liberty - and we’ve got the story of the most infamously deadly…
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Episode 415: The History of the FIFA World Cup - Part 1
In this week's episode, get across the early history of the FIFA Men's World Cup, from its forerunners and precursors to its early emergence and development. The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the…
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Week 23: The Treaty of Tordesillas
This week in history we’ve got an unlucky French astronomer, an absurd religious festival, and a riotous baseball game where beer was ten cents a cup - and we’ve got the history of a treaty that divided the world up…
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Episode 414: The Hindenburg Disaster
In this week's episode, learn all about the Hindenburg Disaster, when a German rigid airship went up in flames in Lakehurst, USA - and the very significant long-term impact of this catastrophe. The Most Interesting…
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Week 22: The Disappearance of Maurice Wilson
This week in history we’ve got French heroes burning and Byzantine cities falling, we’ve got the birthdays of singers and spies and activists - that’s all actually just one person - and we’ve got the tale of the man…
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Episode 413: J.R.R. Tolkien and The Lord of the Rings
In this week's episode, meet J.R.R. Tolkien, the immensely influential fantasy author whose works, The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, revolutionised the fantasy genre and made it what it is today. The Most…
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Week 21: Pepsi Number Fever
This week in history we’ve got assassinations and defenestrations and the release of a hugely popular global franchise, we’ve got the birthdays of palaeontologists and queens and jazz musicians, and we’ve got one of…
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Episode 412: The Seven Voyages of Zheng He
In this week's episode, get to know the famed Chinese admiral Zheng He, who led seven voyages at the head of a huge treasure fleet for the glory of Ming China. The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the…
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Week 20: The Fall of Acre
This week in history we’ve got the test of the first-ever vaccine, and the first woman to fly across the Atlantic, we’ve got the birthdays of artists and political leaders and walking disasters, and we’ve got the end…
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Episode 411: The True Story of Pocahontas
In this week's episode, meet Pocahontas, the famous Indigenous American woman, and uncover the truth of her story - or as much of it as we know, at any rate. The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the…
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Week 19: The Assassination of Spencer Perceval
This week in history we’ve got the theft of the crown jewels and of a Confederate steamboat, we’ve got the birthdays of nurses and composers and artists, and we’ve got the story of the only British prime minister ever…
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Episode 410: John Harrison’s Marine Chronometer
In this week's episode, get to know John Harrison, and understand how his pioneering marine chronometers finally solved the famous longitude problem and ushered in a new age of navigation at sea. The Most Interesting…
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