Half-Arsed History

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, begin the new year by learning about the history of the date-keeping system that almost the entire world uses today: the Gregorian calendar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the second part of the life story of Frederick Douglass, and the influence he had on the progress of US history as a speaker, writer, abolitionist, and statesman. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the first part of the life story of Frederick Douglass, a remarkable man who began life enslaved before making a daring and dangerous escape to a life of freedom as an author, speaker, statesman, and political activist. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of the most ridiculous World Cup in soccer's history - which also happens to be the first one ever held, the 1930 FIFA World Cup. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, listen to the conclusion of the story of Japan's great unifiers, with the tale of Tokugawa Ieyasu, who forged the mighty Tokugawa Shogunate.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, continue the tale of the unification of Japan with the life of Toyotomi Hideyoshi, the second of the great unifiers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the life story of Oda Nobunaga, known as the first great unifier, a man whose actions changed the course of Japanese history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the histories of the six smallest nations on Earth: Liechtenstein, San Marino, Tuvalu, Nauru, Monaco, and the Vatican City. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of the famous traitor Benedict Arnold, who betrayed the rebellious Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War and fought instead for the British. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the tale of Isabella I of Castile, a remarkably important figure in both Spanish and world history, who oversaw the unification of the Spanish Kingdom and the creation of the Spanish Empire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the story behind the formation of the Inca Empire, and the man behind its creation: Pachacuti Inca, who built one of the most remarkable empires the world has seen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of one of the great mediaeval leaders, Frederick Barbarossa of the Holy Roman Empire, who spent his entire reign fighting to keep his realm together.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about the Czech general and national hero, Jan Zizka, who used a combination of military innovation and strategic genius while fighting in the Hussite Wars. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the story of the Hundred Years’ War, a famous mediaeval conflict that saw five generations of English and French kings fight over claims to the French throne for over a hundred years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the moment in history generally considered to be the end of the mediaeval period: the Fall of Constaninople, when a 21-year-old Ottoman Sultan captured the ancient city of Constantinople. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of King Charles I of England, one of the worst monarchs in English and British history, who ended up so unpopular that he ended up having his head chopped off.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the second half of the life story of Mahatma Gandhi, who led India towards its ultimate independence with satyagraha, his political philosophy of nonviolent resistance. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the first half of the story of Mahatma Gandhi, who started off a painfully shy law student before fighting against racial discrimination in South Africa, and for political independence in India.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the tale of a pioneering aviator, Amelia Earhart, who set countless records as a talented aviator and determined adventurer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the story behind a device that changed the world forever, and the man who invented it: Johannes Gutenberg, and the monumentally important printing press. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the tale of Isaac Newton, one of the most important figures in scientific history, who produced incredible, groundbreaking work that laid bare some of the fundamental laws of the universe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, listen to the tale of Hammurabi, an ancient Mesopotamian king who instituted one of the most important and influential code of laws in human history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the life story of the man who forged history's first-ever empire, Sargon of Akkad, and his efforts to maintain and develop it across his time as emperor. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the life story of the Venezuelan freedom fighter and revolutionary hero, Simon Bolivar, who liberated half a continent from Spanish colonial rule.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the second half of the story of Napoleon Bonaparte, including his domestic reforms that would influence the entire world, and his eventual downfall, brief return, and final exile. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the first half of the story of Napoleon Bonaparte, the famous French commander and emperor, who forged the French Empire by conquering half of the European continent.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about the later stages of Galileo Galilei's career, and how the legendary scientist ran afoul of the Catholic Church due to his far-sighted genius.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the first half of the life story of Galileo Galilei, one of the most important and influential scientists in human history, who made far-sighted, ground-breaking scientific discoveries that changed our understanding of the universe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the tale of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, who was in her time the longest-reigning monarch in British history.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the second half of the life story of Genghis Khan, the man who created the Mongolian Empire and led it to early greatness as it expanded across Asia and into Europe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the first half of the life story of Genghis Khan, the man who forged the largest contiguous empire that history has ever seen.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of the famous Roman general and statesman, Julius Caesar, who played an instrumental role in the transition between the Roman Republic and Roman Empire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about the life and times of the famous Renaissance man Leonardo da Vinci, whose genius encompassed everything from art to engineering, anatomy to aerodynamics, and much more besides. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of one of the most important literary figures in human history: William Shakespeare, who changed the English language forever with his poems and plays. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the life story of one of the greatest conquerors the world has ever seen: Alexander the Great, who in his short life forged a huge empire that spanned from Egypt to India. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of the mighty Saladin, the Kurdish sultan who united much of the 12th century Muslim world and recaptured Jerusalem, triggering the Third Crusade. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about the disastrous Battle of Karansebes, the speedy surgeon Robert Liston, the Pig War (which hardly features any pigs at all), the submarine H.L. Henley which was very good at half its job, the broadsword-wielding Fighting Jack Churchill, and the fraternal rivalry that led to the establishment of both Adidas and Puma. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the story of one of Georgia's greatest monarchs: the female king, Tamar the Great. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of the Cuban Missile Crisis, one of the closest points humanity ever came to global thermonuclear war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the history of one of the 20th century's most important technological developments that would go on to shape history and modern current affairs: nuclear weapons. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the second half of the tale of Bartholomew Roberts and his ultimate downfall and death, and learn about the role of things like the Jolly Roger during the Golden Age of Piracy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the first half of the tale of Bartholomew Roberts, one of history's most successful pirates, and learn about other pirate-related topics such as various Pirate Codes that once governed different pirate ships. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the life story of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers in history who created some of the most acclaimed and celebrated musical works, while suffering from debilitating hearing loss. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, go on a tour of the history of the land we today call Ukraine and the people that call it home, from Neolithic tribes to Slavic migrants, from Cossack freedom fighters to those subjugated by the Russian Empire, and discover some of the historical context to the horrendous and needless conflict taking place in Ukraine right now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the tale of Le Loi, the Vietnamese national hero who delivered his people from the invading colonial Ming dynasty. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, continue to learn about the life and times of Cleopatra VII Philopator, who played a significant role in not only the governance of Egypt but also the fall of the Roman Republic and rise of the Roman Empire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, get to know one of the most famous figures from ancient history, Cleopatra VII Philopator, and learn how in her younger days she secured her crown against her enemies and became close to Julius Caesar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the hilarious and unbelievable story of the Capture of Guam, when a heavily-armed US naval convoy took control of the island of Guam from Spain - without shedding a single drop of blood. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the incredible story of Operation Mincemeat, one of the most elaborate and unbelievable intelligence ruses in history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of the Great Train Robbery, when in 1963 a group of gang members held up and robbed a mail train in England, before fleeing to their hideout and playing Monopoly with their ill-gotten gains. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.