Half-Arsed History

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the origins of four commonly-used modern sayings: "beyond the pale", "fiddling while Rome burns", "red herring", and "hoist with his own petard". Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about an often (and perhaps readily) overlooked part of Australia's history - the racist immigration laws it upheld for much of its history that became known as the White Australia Policy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear how the Aztec Empire was destroyed by Spanish invaders led by Hernan Cortes, and the tale of the emperor who was there when it fell, Moctezuma II. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of the Mesoamerican Triple Alliance - better known to history as the Aztec Empire - and meet one of the men instrumental in its rise, Moctezuma I. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, get across some of the weirdest and most ridiculous stories of how people have died, spanning from Ancient Greece to the modern era. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, be shocked at the murderous crimes of two profiteering maniacs, Burke and Hare, who killed their victims just to sell their corpses to anatomists. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about the way that birth control has changed over the years, from Ancient Egyptian crocodile turds to the contraceptive pill of the modern era. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tale of one of history's best recorded witch trials, the Lancashire Witch Trials of 1612. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn of the time that raw sewage turned central London and the River Thames into a mephitic, malodorous hellscape - a time known as the Great Stink. 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 history's most famous philanderer - Giacomo Casanova. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, be amazed at the adventures and misadventures that during place during the early life of history's best-known philanderer - Giacomo Casanova. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the true story of two of the USA's most notorious and romanticised criminals: Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, be mystified at the tale of Franklin's Lost Expedition, when two ships attempted to find their way through the Northwest Passage only to be lost forever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the story of the disgraced samurai Hasekura Tsunenaga, who attempted to reclaim his family's honour by becoming the first ever Japanese ambassador to Europe. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the incredible tale of the Battle of Kadesh, and its direct consequence - the oldest peace treaty known to history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the history of gunpowder, an invention that changed the nature of human conflict forever, influencing warfare and military technology for centuries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of Joan of Arc, the famous French hero who changed the course of the Hundred Years War and went on to become a national symbol of France. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about five of the shortest wars ever fought: The Serbo-Bulgarian War, the War of the Stray Dog, the Six-Day War, the Football War, and the Anglo-Zanzibar War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about four of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Statue of Zeus, the Mausoleum at Halicarnassus, the Colossus of Rhodes, and the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about three of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World: the Great Pyramid at Giza, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon, and the Temple of Artemis at Ephesus. 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 money, from its beginnings as commodity money, through coinage, paper money, fiat money, all the way to the digital money of the 21st century. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the true story of the very famous Sir William Wallace, Guardian of Scotland and his role in the First War of Scottish Independence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, be entertained with the story of the Shark Arm Murder, a tale of a murder investigation that was brought about when a captive tiger shark spewed up a tattooed human arm in 1930s Sydney. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the ridiculous story of the Münster Rebellion, which had everything from a crazed self-proclaimed prophet, to forced polygamy, to good old-fashioned blood and guts and 'orrible murder. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the adventures and misadventures involved with the very first circumnavigation of the Earth, a story closely associated with Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the real story behind the famous duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr - how their careers intertwined, how their rivalry developed, and what fatal consequences therefore resulted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the life story of Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges - who was born to an African slave but went on to become a musician, composer, swordsman, abolitionist, soldier, and revolutionary. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the mixed legacy of the Insurrection Act of 1807, a two-hundred-year-old piece of American legislation that has been used in the pursuit of both fair-minded justice and horrific oppression, firmly consigning those who invoked it either to the right or the wrong side of history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, explore the more recent history of timekeeping and clocks, including John Harrison's marine chronometer, how wristwatches eclipsed pocketwatches, and finally how quartz and atomic watches brought us into the twenty-first century. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the first half of the very interesting history of the humble clock, from its origins as a sundial and water clock, through to the technological developments that led to the first mechanical clocks, pendulum clocks, and pocket watches. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about Liechtenstein's weird involvement in the Austro-Prussian War, the mysterious Voynich Manuscript, the doomed romance of Peter I and Ines de Castro, Wilhelm Voigt's audacious heist, the untold riches of Mansa Musa I, the women in charge of Sydney's Razor Gangs, and the death-defying adventure of Alan Magee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the story of coffee, one of the most popular drinks in the world, and hear how it was spread and popularised while influencing politics, history, economics, and of course culture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of Ching Shih, one of the most powerful pirates the world has ever seen, who at her peak led a fleet of hundreds and a crew of tens of thousands. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, be amazed by the incredible exploits of "Colonel" Thomas Blood, a thief, kidnapper, con man, turncoat, impersonator, traitor, and rogue who attempted the heist of the century when he tried to steal the Crown Jewels of England. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, explore the bitter rivalry between Othniel Charles Marsh and Edward Drinker Cope, two palaeontologists whose undying hatred for one another resulted in the Bone Wars. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of the Mechanical Turk, a chess-playing automaton from over 250 years ago that stunned and mystified with its chess-playing skill and fiercely-guarded secrets. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of the Ten Thousand: "an epic tale of marooned Greek mercenaries in enemy territory, with betrayal and beheadings, a Persian brotherly blood feud, and a foot bridge made of slaughtered animal herds." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, explore an interesting and overlooked bit of Cold War history - the Cod Wars, which helped to shape 20th century politics, geography, and British haute cuisine. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the surprisingly interesting history of the humble potato, and how it has strongly influenced the course of history and made the world into what it is today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the tragic story of Ignaz Semmelweis, a man whose pioneering medical work has saved millions of lives over the years - as well as being especially relevant today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn about one of the most devastating diseases the world has ever seen - the Black Death, which killed countless millions of people and reduced Europe's population by up to sixty percent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the life and times of Diogenes the Cynic, a famous Ancient Greek philosopher who was known for living in a jar, making a mockery of the establishment, and relieving himself in public. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn all about the English longbow, which played a decisive role in the military history of western Europe between the thirteenth and fifteenth centuries, and hear the stories of the battles in which it played a key role. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, discover the life of Edward Jenner, a man who perhaps saved more lives than any other human in the history of our species by developing a vaccine for smallpox. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the story of Irene of Athens, who rose to rule the Byzantine Empire in her own right through a combination of political cleverness and brutal and bloody authority. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the incredible exploits of the brazen sea captain Peter Tordenskjold, who fought for Denmark-Norway against the Swedish during the Great Northern War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the ridiculous story of the Siege of Dunbar, where a Scottish noblewoman known as Black Agnes thoroughly humiliated her English foes as they laid siege to her castle. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, learn the tale of Johann Friedrich Struensee, who took control of the Kingdom of Denmark in the eighteenth century, by winning over the king and sleeping with the queen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, hear the remarkable tale of the Norwegian and Allied saboteurs who fought a secret and dangerous war against the Nazi nuclear weapons program during the Second World War. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Half-Arsed History, uncover the remarkable true story of the Beast of Gévaudan, a monstrosity that plagued and terrorised the French countryside in the 1760s. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.