Half-Arsed History

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.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn what happened during the decisive battles of Salamis and Plataea, when the Greeks finally gained the upper hand in the Greco-Persian Wars, and how these battles went on to affect the overall outcome of the war. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of the Battle of Thermopylae, when a small force of Greek hoplites held off and fought a brave last stand against an overwhelmingly large Persian army as part of the Greco-Persian Wars. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the story of the Battle of Marathon, a battle of immense importance not just in ancient history, but modern world history as well - and learn the true tale of the origin of the modern running race. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the ridiculous story of the 1908 New York to Paris Race, which involved everything from plans to drive across the sea, blatant and outright cheating, and one team even selling their racecar en route. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, begin to understand an important chapter in Ireland's tragic and complicated history: the Nine Years' War, which effectively brought about the end of an autonomous Gaelic Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the incredible life story of Caravaggio, one of the most famous painters in history - he wasn't just a masterful artist, however, but a lifelong street brawler who got into all sorts of trouble for it throughout his entire life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of Fritz Duquesne, a South African who throughout his adventure-filled life was a hunter, soldier, spy, writer, and... film publicist? whose lifelong hatred of the British saw him spy against them in both world wars. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the story behind Australia's first (and only) military coup, when William Bligh was overthrown as governor of New South Wales - the Rum Rebellion. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the rest of the life story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, how he set himself up as a successful performer and composer in Vienna, and discover his lifelong love of scatological humour. 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 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and his adventures as a child and young man as he travelled Europe, performing as a child virtuoso and honing his craft as a legendary composer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the story of Zoe and Theodora Porphyrogenita, two sisters who rose to power in the ruthless, cutthroat world of Byzantine politics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of the richest man in ancient Rome, who was a real nasty piece of work: Marcus Licinius Crassus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, be entertained with some morbid comedy with the stories of ten more weird and ridiculous deaths from across history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the very entertaining last words of four figures from throughout history: Marie Antoinette, John Segwick, James W. Rodgers, and Ian Fleming. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the comedic tragedy - or is it the tragic comedy - of the Erfurt Latrine Disaster, when a huge group of mediaeval German lords plunged into a cesspit in the middle of meeting with a king. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the story behind Sapa Inca Atahualpa and the Massacre of Cajamarca, the defining moment in the collapse of the mighty Inca Empire.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, find out about King Shaka kaSenzangakhona, also known as Shaka Zulu, a man who went from a common soldier to a tribal chieftain to one of southern Africa's most powerful warrior-kings. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of Attila the Hun, one of history's most fearsome and bloodthirsty warriors, who rampaged across both the Eastern and Western Roman Empires. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the life story of Jadwiga of Poland, a monarch who guided her realm through a turbulent and difficult period while maintaining peace and prosperity for her people. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of the first woman known to history to have circumnavigated the globe, Jeanne Baret, who went from being an impoverished peasant to a widely-travelled botanist and entrepreneur who made history with her voyages. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the life story of one of history's most famous con men, Charles Ponzi, whose name is still attached to the swindle he pulled off (but didn't invent!) in 1920, when he fleeced millions from people in the US. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the extraordinary tale of Wild Bill Hickok, a famous gunslinger and lawman from the American Old West, who - amongst much else - once shot a man dead over a gold pocketwatch. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about the Time of Troubles, a period of Russian history brought about by a succession crisis that involved chaos, invasions, lawlessness, and three different blokes pretending to be a long-lost heir who had come back from the dead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of Moondyne Joe, a convict sent to Western Australia who became infamous for his many attempts to break out of jail there, and the adventures he had along the way. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the history of the bicycle, and how it went from being a wooden-wheeled, bone-shaking daredevil's plaything to a wonderful machine that influenced historical political movements and changed the way we travel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the history of the ancient Olympic Games, which featured everything from naked foot races to bloodsports, and became the precursor to the modern Olympic Games we all know so well today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the full story of one of the biggest political scandals in recent memory - the Watergate Scandal, which brought low an entire presidential administration after a series of failed cover-ups. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the long and surprisingly involved history of the Hudson's Bay Company - today a chain of department stores, but previously a fur trading company that became a foundationally important part of Canada. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the history of the structures that became mediaeval Europe's military, political, economic, and administrative focal points: the castle, a fortified home for wealthy ruling nobles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of Rodrigo Díaz de Vivar, better known to history as El Cid, a famous Spanish knight who fought for and against both Christians and Muslims in mediaeval Iberia. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the bloody, decades-long feud between two rival Frankish queens from the Early Middle Ages, Brunhilda and Fredegund. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, be amazed at the ridiculous story of the Battle of Castle Itter, the only recorded time when American and German soldiers fought side-by-side in the Second World War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the origin story of the modern state of Portugal, and the tale of the man who wrought its independence: Afonso I of Portugal. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the story of the Forty-Seven Ronin, a group of ex-samurai who hatched a two-year-long plot to avenge the death of their fallen lord and reclaim his lost honour. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of the Eureka Rebellion, the closest Australian colonists ever came to a full-scale political uprising after a harsh tax led gold miners to take up arms against the government. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn how the most significant medical breakthrough in human history - the discovery of penicillin - resulted in a revolution in human health thanks to the work of some talented and dedicated scientists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the full story of the Apollo Program, the monumental scientific endeavour that successfully landed humans on the Moon for the first time in history.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear about the lives and the discoveries made by William and Caroline Herschel, a pair of siblings who were enormously influential on the science of astronomy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the ancient tale of Ashurbanipal, who styled himself king of the universe, and how his legacy remains alive today almost three millennia after his death. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the stories of the Servile Wars, three slave revolts from ancient Rome that led to the emergence of legendary figures such as Spartacus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tragic tale of the whaleship Essex, the real-life inspiration for Herman Melville's Moby-Dick - a story of what happened when a giant whale attacked a ship in the middle of the Pacific. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the long and very interesting history of one of the world's most important waterways, the Suez Canal, and hear about just how many times it's been blocked up over the years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about all the ridiculous stories behind the times the CIA tried - and failed - to assassinate Fidel Castro, the president of Cuba. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the stories of the Four Great Inventions from ancient China, and how they've impacted the modern world: the compass, papermaking, woodblock printing, and gunpowder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the life story of Marie Sklodowska Curie, a brilliant pioneering scientist who faced significant challenges both inside and outside the lab - but one who still managed to be the first person ever to win two Nobel Prizes. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of Alcibiades: general, diplomat, politician, traitor and turncoat (more than a few times), and an absolute lothario, who influenced the course of the famous Peloponnesian War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the history of the infamous Lafitte Brothers, who were privateers, smugglers, political operatives, businessmen, spies, and all around rogues who made an unlikely alliance with the US to save New Orleans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the history of the humble toilet, and hear how it has developed over the years from a rudimentary necessity to something that has bolstered both public health and a lot of very highbrow humour. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.