Damian Smith
History Go Time!
Somewhere between Dan Carlin and George Carlin, professional comedian and history enthusiast Damian Smith regales with his favourite anecdotes from throughout the annals of time. These stories are fun, exciting, compelling, and quite often actually happened - for as Leo Ferre once said: ”you must believe in ancient history, even if it is not true.” Guaranteed at least 90% truth.
Author
Damian Smith
Category
Podcast website
Latest episode
May 25, 2026
Where to listen?
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Episodes
Random Crazy Olympic Stuff 28.07.2024 43:09
Random trivia from the modern Olympics. Bizarre sports (poodle grooming, pretending to be a corpse), event disruptions (four person pileup, evil leprechaun), and numerous unfortunate things happening to pigeons. Why is it only every four years?
Apepi Talk - The Hyksos Invasion 13.06.2024 1:46:55
The Second Intermediate Period of Egypt. Or that time when people who weren't Egyptian took over and they don't really like talking about it.
The Weirding Way - Miyamoto Musashi 19.04.2024 2:28:41
A Musashi show As requested by many Show notes in haiku
Stuxnet - H4CK T3H PL4N3T!!1! 14.02.2024 47:29
Here's a Valentine's gift for everyone. One of the bonus shows is now available for all. This is all about Stuxnet, the most amazing computer virus you may not have heard about. You need to be wearing fingerless gloves to get the most out of this show.
Fine, This Bonus Show Is Free: Fine Cotton 27.01.2024 1:03:39
I've been going through some stuff lately, and as part of the healing process I thought I'd do an interstitial bonus show. This is going to be a little bit different, but it should be plenty fun. Here's the unbelievably true story of Fine Cotton.
Hannibal Lecture IV - Delenda Est 05.12.2023 6:00:03
We finish up the Hannibal series in one go because Damo went mad. Everything from the fallout of Trebia to Cannae to Hannibal inventing snake bombs to Carthage being wiped out. You may have to hit the pause button a couple of times.
Hannibal Lecture III - Trouble at Trebia 13.09.2023 3:18:22
Hannibal marches on Rome, it turns out that story takes a while to tell. Due to ADHD there are side stories about ancient sieges and why Roman names are so weird. This is going to be more than one sitting, so be warned.
Hannibal Lecture II - So grab your gun and bring in the cat! 19.07.2023 2:46:45
This one is eventually about Hamilcar Barca, the Carthaginian John Wick. He comes in at around the 2-hour mark. I've taken your feedback that the Tik Tok generation wants shorter episodes and I have determined that it is the children who are wrong.
Hannibal Lecture I - What do you hear? Nothin’ but the rain! 25.04.2023 1:02:51
You asked, I delivered. We're going to be heading back into the dreaded continuity with a multi-part series detailing the Punic Wars. This first episode has very little Punic Wars, but it's necessary homework, so I tried to add more spice. This is the Way.
Mr Armageddon Part 2: The Lead Menace 24.02.2023 1:21:30
Thomas Midgley Jr came close to destroying the world with his invention of CFCs, but we managed to survive. This time he's back to finish the job. Because why have one planet-ending invention when you can have two? Here's the story about how the same guy also invented leaded gasoline and somehow managed to be even deadlier the second time around.
Mr Armageddon Part I: Ozone Slayer 06.02.2023 49:00
In which we finally learn why 'fridge' has a 'D' in it but 'refrigerator' doesn't. Oh, and quite a bit about the end of the world too, with history's biggest killer - Thomas Midgley Jr.
The Curse of the Colonel - A Christmas Bonus Show! 20.12.2022 37:38
This was a Patreon exclusive for a while, but it's Christmas! (Or whatever holiday you choose to celebrate. Me, I'm more of a Saturnalia guy, but you do you.) Paranormal curses from the void between stars are surprisingly common in the sport of baseball. This show will explore the spectrum from the relatively benign "Curse of the Bambino" to the downright freaky "Curse of the Colonel". Yes, that C...
It’s Not A Sprint 20.11.2022 50:42
The 1904 St Louis Olympic Marathon: 32 people started the race, only 14 finished. And the guy in the thumbnail is running in a chopped-down business suit and a beret. You'd like to know more, wouldn't you?
The Regina Monologue 15.10.2022 1:36:47
Has the hysteria calmed down yet? I hope so. Here's 90 minutes of why Queen Elizabeth II was not a good person. Not in the slightest. I can't wait for the comment section on this one.
Diamonds Are For Never 27.08.2022 2:04:33
It's well past time we took a torch to this throne of lies. Why (almost) everything you ever knew about diamonds is a lie told as a part of the greatest con ever perpetrated.
...it’s what you do with it (formerly a Patreon exclusive, now for everyone) 02.08.2022 57:26
In which I make a very extended case for why imperial measurements are stupid, why metric is objectively better, we go into the surprisingly fascinating history of paper sizes, and I explain why every eagle you've ever listened to has lied to you.
Who Runs The World? (Girls) Part Utah 21.06.2022 2:12:21
Featuring 6-10, in no particular order, on the arbitrary top-ten list of women who don't get as much attention as they deserve. We've got the greatest pirate you've never heard of, Civil War James Bond, a horny monarch, an overrated general, and one person who - if not for gender stereotypes - would have made Mars colonies possible by now.
Vae Victis (Rebroadcast) 14.05.2022 31:03
This is a rebroadcast of a show from 2020 (with some additional commentary) explaining the origins of the phrase Vae Victis - woe to the vanquished. Coincidentally, Damo is also doing a live show at the Sydney Comedy Festival also called Vae Victis, so if you're wondering why it might behove you to give this a listen. (If you're looking for tickets to the live show head to Ticketek or sydneycomed...
Who Runs The World? (Girls) Part I 10.04.2022 1:11:24
This show is all about the 51% of history that deserves a bit more attention. We're going to be looking at some of the perhaps lesser-known women in history who were utterly awesome. And let's all pretend that it actually came out during Women In History Month. “I love deadlines. I like the whooshing sound they make as they fly by.” ~Douglas Adams
History In The Making - WTF Is Happening In Ukraine? 03.03.2022 1:15:40
In a new segment for HGT we explore current events and try and get to the bottom of the Russo-Ukraine conflict. If you've asked why, where, what, or huh this is the show for you.
So You’ve Travelled Back In Time 15.02.2022 1:21:33
We've all done it. You try to fix a broken toaster with a radioactive isotope next thing you know you're hurtling backwards through time. Well, this doesn't have to ruin your day. In fact, there are a number of ways you can leverage your unique situation for fun and profit. Let Damo provide you with a friendly guide to becoming the most important person in history.
Beer Hall Putz 14.01.2022 2:09:43
It's the classic question, isn't it? If you had a time machine, would you go back and kill Hitler? In this show we explore why that hypothetical isn't as clear cut as it might sound, we learn just how crazy Hitler was and why whatever you thought was way shy of the mark, and we take a sidebar to introduce people to the bizarre lunatic that was bestselling author Karl May.
Ein Kleine Nachthexen - Bonus Holiday Show! 21.12.2021 27:56
In which we celebrate the fabulous holiday tradition of Krampus - the terrifying German hell-monster who comes on December 5th to drag naughty children to a twisted hell dimension of infinite pain in a festive Lament Configuration. Happy Holidays!
The Great Stink Of 1858 05.12.2021 1:05:05
A brief history of the worst smell ever in the history of mankind (unless you count my dog). Also a dive into why "Dickensian" is "Dickensian", I run out of metaphors for bodily expulsion, and I subvert expectations by never once using the Ruben Rabasa "stinky!" soundbite.
17 - Ra Ra Rasputin! 02.11.2021 1:36:28
He ruled the Russian land and never mind the CzarBut the kazachok he danced really wunderbarIn all affairs of state he was the man to pleaseBut he was real great when he had a girl to squeezeFor the queen he was no wheeler dealerThough she'd heard the things he'd doneShe believed he was a holy healerWho would heal her son
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