Half-Arsed History
von Riley Knight
Neueste Folge
Week 46: The 1919 Great Air Race
Week 46: The 1919 Great Air Race
Über diesen Podcast
Half-Arsed History's second book, The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, is out now! Buy your copy: https://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: [email protected]
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 400+ 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
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 46: The 1919 Great Air Race · 31 Min. · Folge 50046This week in history we’ve got a tragic day in Peruvian history, we’ve got the birth of a famous astronomer, we’ve got the opening of the Suez Canal - and we’ve got a terrific…
- Episode 430: The Viking Age - Part 5: Decline · 53 Min. · Folge 10430In this week's episode, learn about the decline of the Viking Age - how it was an inconsistent and gradual process that, paradoxically, also resulted in some of the greatest…
- Week 45: Pheasant Island and the Treaty of the Pyrenees · 27 Min. · Folge 50045This week in history we’ve got an infamous plot to blow up the English Parliament, we’ve got the hanging of Australia’s most notorious bushranger, we’ve got a failed attempt to…
- Week 44: The Spruce Goose Takes Flight · 29 Min. · Folge 50044This week in history we’ve got a tale of mutiny on the high seas, we’ve got Scotland’s disastrous attempt to colonise Central America, we’ve got a major US landmark being…
- Episode 435: The Book Tour 2026 - Chapter Readings · 1 Std. 2 Min. · Folge 10435In 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…
- Week 43: The Charge of the Light Brigade · 25 Min. · Folge 50043This 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…
- Episode 434: The Book Tour 2026 - LIVE in Perth · 54 Min. · Folge 10434In 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…
- Week 42: The "Discovery" of the Cardiff Giant · 19 Min. · Folge 40042This 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…
- Episode 433: The Book Tour 2026 - LIVE in Adelaide · 47 Min. · Folge 10433In 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…
- Week 41: Theodore Roosevelt Survives Being Shot · 23 Min. · Folge 50041This 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…
- Week 40: The Siege of Leiden · 25 Min. · Folge 50040This 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…
- Second Book Available Now & Live Show Tickets Running Out · 4 Min.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…
- Week 39: The First Black Friday · 31 Min. · Folge 50039This 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…
- Week 38: The Straw Hat Riot · 22 Min. · Folge 50028This 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…
- Episode 429: The Viking Age - Part 4: Society · 1 Std. 5 Min. · Folge 10429In 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…
- Update: Brisbane and Maroochydore Tickets, Date Change, Sorry for Lack of Episodes · 4 Min.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…
- Week 37: The Execution of “Martin Guerre” · 26 Min. · Folge 50037This 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…
- Episode 428: The Viking Age - Part 3: Expansion · 52 Min. · Folge 10428In 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…
- Week 36: The End of the Western Roman Empire · 24 Min. · Folge 50036This 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…
- Tickets for the 2026 Book Tour are now available! · 11 Min.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…
- Episode 427: The Viking Age - Part 2: Conquest · 1 Std. 1 Min. · Folge 10427In 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…
- Week 35: The Origin of Stockholm Syndrome · 29 Min. · Folge 50035This 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…
- Episode 426: The Viking Age - Part 1: Raids · 57 Min. · Folge 10426In 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…
- Week 34: Edmond Halley Observes His Comet · 24 Min. · Folge 50034This 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…
- Episode 425: The Capture of the USS Chesapeake · 53 Min. · Folge 10425In 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…
- Week 33: The Bermuda Gunpowder Heist · 26 Min. · Folge 50033This 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…
- Episode 424: Vincent van Gogh, the Tortured Artist · 1 Std. 0 Min. · Folge 10424In 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…
- Week 32: Lt. General Patton Slaps a Soldier... Again · 27 Min. · Folge 50032This 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…
- Episode 423: The Plague of Athens · 52 Min. · Folge 10423In 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…
- Week 31: The Hammer and Feather on the Moon · 24 Min. · Folge 50031This 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…
- Apologies to Apple Podcasts Subscribers · 3 Min.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…
- Episode 422: Athens vs. Sparta - the Peloponnesian War · 57 Min. · Folge 10422In 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…
- Week 30: Tobacco Comes to England · 28 Min. · Folge 50030This 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…
- Episode 421: The Successful Failure of Apollo 13 · 53 Min. · Folge 10421In 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…
- Week 29: The Football War · 23 Min. · Folge 50029This week in history we’ve got the birth of a famous conqueror, we’ve got the dawn of the atomic age, we’ve got a giant leap for mankind - and we’ve got the story of a brief but…
- Episode 420: The History of Cannabis · 1 Std. 0 Min. · Folge 10420In this week's episode, explore the history of the cannabis plant, including its role in historical and modern textile industries, as well as its medicinal, religious, and…
- Week 28: The First Ascent of the Matterhorn · 24 Min. · Folge 50028This week in history we’ve got an iconic moment from the French revolution, we’ve got a famous historical duel, we’ve got someone trying to get to the North Pole in a balloon…
- Episode 419: Mata Hari, the Seductress-Turned-Spy · 1 Std. 2 Min. · Folge 10419In this week's episode, meet Mata Hari, the internationally-renowned exotic dancer who became a spy for... someone... during the First World War. The Most Interesting People…
- Week 27: Oxford University’s 500-Year Grudge · 24 Min. · Folge 50027This week in history we’ve got the origin of Independence Day, we’ve got a slightly-bungled assassination, we’ve got a bloke who used to surgically attach goat’s testicles to…
- Announcing: The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the second Half-Arsed History book · 10 Min.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…
- Episode 418: The Stonewall Riots, the Origin of Pride · 50 Min. · Folge 10418In this week's episode, learn about the Stonewall Riots, which took place in the wake of a police raid on a NYC gay bar and catalysed the growing gay rights movement. The Most…
- Week 26: The Tunguska Event · 29 Min. · Folge 50026This week in history we’ve got the battle that unified Japan, we’ve got the death of a famous detective, we’ve got the event that kicked off the First World War - and we’ve got…
- Episode 417: The History of the FIFA World Cup - Part 3 · 1 Std. 7 Min. · Folge 10417In this week's episode, conclude the tour of World Cup history with the details of the tournaments from 1990 onwards - all the highlights and lowlights, including persistent…
- Week 25: The Hand of God · 30 Min. · Folge 50025This week in history we’ve got decisive battles for the East India Company and for friend of the show Napoleon, we’ve got a river of burning whiskey flowing through Dublin, and…
- Episode 416: The History of the FIFA World Cup - Part 2 · 1 Std. 2 Min. · Folge 10416In this week's episode, continue to discover the story of the FIFA Men's World Cup, from the postwar return of the tournament in 1950, across years of development and…
- Week 24: The 1955 Le Mans Disaster · 37 Min. · Folge 50024This week in history we’ve got the reason the Taj Mahal was built, we’ve got the debut of the world’s first bike, we’ve got the delivery of the Statue of Liberty - and we’ve got…
- Episode 415: The History of the FIFA World Cup - Part 1 · 51 Min. · Folge 10415In this week's episode, get across the early history of the FIFA Men's World Cup, from its forerunners and precursors to its early emergence and development. The Most Interesting…
- Week 23: The Treaty of Tordesillas · 28 Min. · Folge 50023This week in history we’ve got an unlucky French astronomer, an absurd religious festival, and a riotous baseball game where beer was ten cents a cup - and we’ve got the history…
- Episode 414: The Hindenburg Disaster · 58 Min. · Folge 10414In this week's episode, learn all about the Hindenburg Disaster, when a German rigid airship went up in flames in Lakehurst, USA - and the very significant long-term impact of…
- Week 22: The Disappearance of Maurice Wilson · 30 Min. · Folge 50022This week in history we’ve got French heroes burning and Byzantine cities falling, we’ve got the birthdays of singers and spies and activists - that’s all actually just one…
