Half-Arsed History
Riley Knight • Comedy, History
Riley Knight • Comedy, History
Half-Arsed History
Riley Knight • Comedy, History
Riley Knight • Comedy, History

About

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.

Episodes

  • QAH Episode 139: The SS Princess Alice Disaster
    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.
  • Update: On Recent Episodes Being Late and a Few Other Things Too
    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.
  • Episode 388: Beatrix Potter, the Enterprising Author
    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.
  • Inventions Episode 48: The Pill
    The pill brought about a huge shift in the history of human civilisation, revolutionising the role of women in society, culture, politics, and economics.
  • QAH Episode 138: The Mad Trapper of Rat River
    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.
  • Episode 387: Nations Named After People
    In this week's episode, hear about the history behind the names of five nations, all named after real historical figures.
  • Inventions Episode 47: Velcro
    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.
  • QAH Episode 137: W.G. Grace, the Great Cricketer
    Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of W.G. Grace, one of the most famous cricketers from the 19th century, famous for his immense skill which helped to revolutionise the game.
  • Episode 386: The History of the Ashes
    In this episode, get across the origin and history of a fierce century-and-a-half sporting rivalry, brought to life whenever Australia face off against England in Test cricket: the Ashes.
  • Inventions Episode 46: The Microwave Oven
    The microwave oven came about due to a very lucky accident involving an electrical engineer and chocolate bar, and today is found in billions of homes worldwide.
  • QAH Episode 136: The Petrov Affair
    Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Petrov Affair, when two Soviet spies caused a major political upheaval by defecting to Australia in the 1950s.
  • Episode 385: The 1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis
    In this week's episode, hear the story of the Dismissal: the 1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis, when Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was turfed out by the governor-general.
  • Inventions Episode 45: The Ballpoint Pen
    The ballpoint pen may not have ushered in a technological revolution as so many other inventions in this series did, but it nonetheless played a significant role in making everyday writing simple, cheap, and relatively smudge-free.
  • QAH Episode 135: Robert Curthose, the Mutinous Elder Brother
    Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of Robert Curthose, who managed to cause all sorts of headaches for his two kingly brothers, despite being older than both of them.
  • Episode 384: History’s Problematic Princes
    In this week's episode, apropos of nothing, meet three historical younger-born princes who nothing but a royal pain in the arse for their older brothers.
  • Inventions Episode 44: Penicillin
    Penicillin was a miraculous, marvellous discovery that revolutionised modern medicine and saved millions upon millions of lives, ushering in the age of antibiotics, where a little scratch doesn't result in amputation or death.
  • QAH Episode 134: The Venus de Milo
    Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the Venus de Milo, the most famous ancient statue in the world, and perhaps second-most famous artwork in the Louvre.
  • Episode 383: That Time the Mona Lisa Was Stolen from the Louvre
    In this week's episode, learn about the Louvre's most infamous heist: the time that the Mona Lisa itself was stolen by an Italian carpenter named Vincenzo Peruggia.
  • Inventions Episode 43: Plastic
    Plastic is everywhere - these days, it's impossible to live a completely plastic-free life; but that's not necessarily entirely a bad thing, as even with all its environmental ills, plastic has nonetheless ushered in an age of material abundance.
  • QAH Episode 133: The Lake Nyos Disaster
    Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Lake Nyos Disaster, when over 1,700 people living around Lake Nyos mysteriously perished one night in 1986.