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.html
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.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 350+ 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
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.
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.html
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.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 350+ 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
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.
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of William McGonagall, widely considered to be the worst English-language poet that history has ever seen.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this episode, hear the tale of Jean de Carrouges, who fought a duel to the death to seek justice for his wife Marguerite.
WARNING: this episode contains content that may be distressing and is not appropriate for younger listeners.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The smartphone is an invention that is currently bringing about a technological transformation of human civilisation - and an invitation to think about how other inventions from history have similarly impacted peoples' lives.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Changes are coming to Half-Arsed History in 2026! Some positive, some negative - here is the TL;DL:
• There will now only be two episodes released each week: the usual full-length episode and a new series called This Week in History, replacing QAH
• I'm pulling back a little bit to try to bring my unsustainable workload back under control, reduce burnout, and find better balance
• Half-Arsed History's second book is coming later in 2026, the manuscript is currently being written and edited
• A brand-new Half-Arsed History card game is in the works, and you can be involved with playtesting and illustration
• The show's merch will undergo a full and proper refresh later in the year - artists are encouraged to submit portfolios
• A big goal for the show in 2026 is growth, so please tell your friends, enemies, and people about whom you feel largely ambivalent about Half-Arsed History
List of historical figures likely to appear in the card game: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KEsNw2oTfuXZOn-dU3-dtVhHJAvY0dt0DNbzhIVBbMY
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the very amusing history of Sealand, an unrecognised micronation located on an abandoned military fort off the coast of Britain.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode, meet five more historical figures with strange epithets: Æthelred the Unready, Constantine V Koprónymos, Louis Do-Nothing, Malcolm the Maiden, and Piero the Unfortunate.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The internet is not something you just dump something on. It's not a big truck. It's a series of tubes.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the Stone of Scone, a block of sandstone upon which Scottish, English, and then British kings and queens have been coronated for well over a thousand years.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode, hear the incredible tale of Air Canada Flight 143, when a Boeing 767 ran out of fuel mid-flight and so had to be flown and landed as a glider on a not-quite-abandoned airfield in the Canadian town of Gimli.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The Global Positioning System began as top-secret military technology, before a series of interesting (and some tragic) events opened up a world of convenience and logistical optimisation to the world at large.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Quarter-Arsed History presents: a brief history of Morse code, an encoding and transmission system that helped to transform long-distance communication in the mid 19th-century.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode, hear about the series of ridiculous setbacks and disasters that took place as part of the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable, a revolutionary step forward in global communications.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The personal computer is an invention that defines the modern information age, a deeply entrenched part of daily life for billions of people all around the world.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the SS Princess Alice Disaster, when hundreds of people drowned in raw sewage after two ships collided on the River Thames.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
TL;DL: No episodes for the next week or so. I'm a little bit burnt out after a huge year, so I've been struggling to get episodes out on time. Solutions for 2026 forthcoming; apologies for the disruptions in the meantime.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode, get to know the remarkable Beatrix Potter, whose historical legacy goes a lot further than just the authorship of an immensely successful series of children's books.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The pill brought about a huge shift in the history of human civilisation, revolutionising the role of women in society, culture, politics, and economics.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Quarter-Arsed History presents: the tale of the Mad Trapper of Rat River, a mysterious figure who led the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on a month-long manhunt through the frozen wilderness.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In this week's episode, hear about the history behind the names of five nations, all named after real historical figures.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Velcro - or, officially, the hook-and-loop fastener - is a useful little invention that we all still use today, and one that was popularised after helping us get to the Moon.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.