Half-Arsed History

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Astor Place Riot, a deadly riot that erupted on the streets of New York after a longstanding disagreement over who was the best Shakespearean actor of the time. 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 Boo...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, find out about all the famous Australians represented on Australian banknotes: Banjo Paterson and Dame Mary Gilmore, Mary Reibey and John Flynn, David Ngunaitponi and Edith Cowan, and Dame Nellie Melba and Sir John Monash. The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the second Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 29th of September across the Austra...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: Bir Tawil, the only sizeable area of land outside of Antarctica that remains unclaimed, as Egypt and Sudan both fight for the other nation's claim to it. 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 R...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn more about the historical setting for the upcoming Assassin's Creed Mirage: a tumultuous and chaotic time in Islamic history known as the Anarchy at Samarra. 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 fr...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: Samuel "Black Sam" Bellamy, whose short career as a pirate captain was enough to see him named by Forbes magazine as history's top-earning pirate. 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 Readings...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, who has gone on to become perhaps the most famous and well-known pirate in history.  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 Readings: AU/N...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the 1944 Bombay Explosion, when a huge explosion ripped through the city's docks because of some truly idiotic mistakes when it came to loading cargo aboard a ship. 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 Boo...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn everything you need to know about Australian referendums - what they are, how they work, and what was involved with the most famous and important ones in Australian history.  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....

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the TRUTH about the Bermuda Triangle, the truth that THEY don't want you to know about all the MYSTERIOUS DISAPPEARANCES of planes and ships and people in this ONE SPECIFIC PART of the Atlantic Ocean. 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...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the tale of Catherine de' Medici, an Italian noblewoman who rose to become the ruler of France during one of the most tumultuous periods in French history.  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 c...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: Pope Benedict IX, infamous not only for being the only person to have multiple "terms" as pope and for once selling the papacy to someone, but also for apparently having great big orgies in the papal residency. 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 Ne...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, enjoy another ten stories surrounding some of the most ridiculous and amusing deaths in history.  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 Readings: AU/NZ (affiliate link): https://boo...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: The Eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 CE, the famous event that saw the city of Pompeii destroyed and preserved under metres of volcanic material. 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 Readings:...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the stories behind the two deadliest volcanic eruptions in human history: the 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora, and the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa. 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 Booktop...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: The Berners Street Hoax, an incident in 1810 that saw a street in central London jammed with tradespeople, merchants, deliverymen, doctors, lawyers, and countless others, all inexplicably trying to access one particular address on the same day. The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the second Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 29th of September ac...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about the monumental impact Henry VIII had on English history as a result of his many marriages, culminating in the establishment of the Church of England.  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 cop...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: Jumbo the Elephant, who became the world's most famous elephant after a lifetime as a star attraction in zoos and circuses across Europe and North America. 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...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of the Vasa, a heavily-armed 17th century Swedish warship that sank just minutes into its maiden voyage, but is today the best-preserved warship from that period. 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...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Great Molasses Flood, a disaster where a reservoir burst and wiped out half a neighbourhood with a sticky, sugary, eight-metre high wave of molasses. 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 R...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, find out the truth about five of the biggest misconceptions in history, including the date of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the visibility of the Great Wall of China from space, what ninja and vikings used to wear, and historical beliefs about the Earth being flat.  The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the second Half-Arse...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: Bertha Benz, an automotive pioneer who undertook the world's first-ever long-distance test drive of a car, when she drove the Benz Model III over 100km from Mannheim to Pforzheim. 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 you...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn how artificial light has helped to create and shape human civilisation, and how it has changed over the millennia - from fire to gas to electricity.  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...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Demon Core,a six-kilogram lump of plutonium that caused the first-ever lethal criticality accident, and then a second one when some reckless US scientists went back for a second helping of radiation poisoning. 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...

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the true story of the life and career of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the scientist principally responsible for bringing nuclear weapons into the world. 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...

Quarter-Arsed History presents: Bat Bombs, an actual, factual US military project run by a dentist, the goal of which was to drop incendiary bats on Tokyo during the Second World War. 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 Rea...