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Half-Arsed History's second book, The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, is out now! Buy your copy: booktopia.kh4ffx.net/bkq2G9
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: patreon.com/halfarsedhistory
Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: apple.co/halfarsedhistory
Buy Half-Arsed History merch: 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 - sptfy.com/PK3J • apple.co/3Giftt3
Episode 75: The Great Emu War - sptfy.com/PK3K • apple.co/4jKCvr7
Episode 197: The History of Nuclear Weapons - sptfy.com/PK3L • apple.co/4jygYlc
Episode 233: The 1930 FIFA World Cup - sptfy.com/PK3M • apple.co/4iltL9P
Episode 106: The First Circumnavigation - sptfy.com/PK3N • 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.
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Week 43: The Charge of the Light Brigade
This week in history we’ve got yet another important historical battle, we’ve got a very stupidly named war, we’ve got the closest we ever came to the Third World War - and we’ve got the story behind the famous Charge of the Light Brigade.
Week 42: The "Discovery" of the Cardiff Giant
This week in history we’ve got a twelve-year-old girl crowned as a king, we’ve got a turning point in Japanese history, we’ve got a disastrous Russian naval campaign - and we’ve got a huge petrified figure proving the existence ancient race
Week 41: Theodore Roosevelt Survives Being Shot
This week in history we’ve got an extremely important but rather unknown battle, we’ve got an extremely important but very famous battle, we’ve got the construction of Brazil’s most famous landmark - and we’ve got the time TR was shot in th
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 surfing across farmlan
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 Interesting People You've Ne
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 the term “Black Frida
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 You've Never Heard Of, the
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 Never Heard Of, the se
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 riot kicked off by peop
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 Most Interesting People Y
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 upcoming live shows, but don'
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 fraud and deception, with
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, the second Half-Arsed His
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 marked the downfall of
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 Normandy. The Most Interestin
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 origin of the term St
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 Most Interesting People Yo
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 to both Perth and Adela
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 about the famous comet
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 to both Perth and Adela
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 Half-Arsed History book
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 instrumental to the A
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 Of, the second Half-Arsed
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 US general slapped one
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 second Half-Arsed History bo
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 physics demonstration held
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. The Most Interesting
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 episodes for Apple Podcasts
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, thanks to the efforts of
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 Most Interesting Peopl
