Half-Arsed History

In this week's episode, get to know Khan Krum the Fearsome, a 9th-century leader of the Bulgarian Empire who is famous for, amongst other things, drinking from the skulls of his enemies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The light bulb is something found in more or less every room in our homes, today - and while its form and function hasn't changed too much, it has undergone countless improvements and updates across more than a century. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: highlights from the Q&A sessions from the live show in Maroochydore, including questions on the research that went into the book, how future historians will reflect on Covid, the strongest influences on Half-Arsed History's development, and a whole bunch of silly nonsense at the end. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, is now available! Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get the best kind of advice - unsolicited advice - as to how to bring your creative endeavours to life (there are also a couple of chapters from the book at the end of the episode as well, don't worry). History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, is now available! Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The telephone completely changed the way we communicate with one another, making it possible to have an instant back-and-forth conversation across vast distances. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: highlights from the Q&A sessions from the live shows in Sydney and Brisbane, including questions on the book's cover, the next white whale, video content, and whether pancakes are better than waffles (they're not).History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, is now available! Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, enjoy a series of shameful confessions about the mistakes - both those that were found and missed - in History's Strangest Deaths, and listen to a sneaky chapter or two at the end. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, is now available! Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The internal combustion engine is an invention that has completely and irreversibly changed human civilisation and the way we live our lives, unlocking personal transportation, powering global trade networks, and making us reliant on fossil fuels.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the death of Agha Mohammad Khan Qajar, a glaring omission from History's Strangest deaths - the shah sentenced two servants to death but then delayed the execution by one day, and in the meantime they killed him instead. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, hear all about the editing and proofreading process that History's Strangest Deaths underwent, as well as a painful confession about one of the mistakes that slipped through the cracks. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, is now available! Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Barbed wire has had a surprisingly large impact on human civilisation, completely changing the agricultural industry across much of the world, while also becoming an unpleasant symbol of oppression through its use in military affairs and incarceration. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of the massacre carried out after Caracalla proposed wedding between himself and the daughter of the Parthian emperor, just time for another real-world wedding that is taking place this week. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, is now available! Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get across the behind-the-scenes details when it came to drafting and pitching process for History's Strangest Deaths, as well as a few preview chapters from the book itself. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, is now available! Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The lift has played a very important role in modern building design and construction, sending skyscrapers higher and higher into the air and transforming the layout and densities of cities all around the world. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, is now available! Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the tragic and gruesome story of the Mayerling Incident, a murder-suicide pact involving the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, is now available! Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, wrap up this six-part mini-series on the French Revolution with its most important legacies - political, social, cultural, and historical. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, is now available! Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The refrigerator changed so much about how we store and eat perishable food - it opened up global food markets with refrigerated transport, improved food safety with cold storage, and transformed our diets and nutrition with new food availability. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Festival of the Supreme Being, the unhinged religious festival put on by Maxilimilien Robespierre as he attempted to establish the ludicrous brand-new religion he'd invented.History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Buy your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Half-Arsed History's first book, History's Strangest Deaths, is now available at all good bookstores, and probably some bad ones as well. You can buy a paper version, an ebook version, or an audiobook version (or all three, if you feel like it).AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get across the final chapter in the tale of the French Revolution: the broad political failure that was the French Directory, the collapse of which represented the end of the revolution itself. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The sewing machine is a piece of technology that has had an outsized historical influence - not just on the textile industry, but on society, culture, and history as well.History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: a brief history of the guillotine, a device popularised during the French Revolution, responsible for the deaths of countless thousands during the Reign of Terror. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get across the darkest and bloodiest chapter in French revolutionary history: the Reign of Terror, which saw tens of thousands of people killed by political violence.History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The friction match and its subsequent developments helped to democratise fire - matches have made it possible for anyone, at any time, to make use of one of humanity's most important tools, fire. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join me in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Maroochydore as I go through some of the stories from History's Strangest Deaths, and share juicy behind-the-scenes details about how the book was made. Don't delay - these tickets are limited and will likely run out pretty swiftly.Sydney - 6:00pm 7th August at the Chauvel Cinema, tickets $20: https://www.dymocks.com.au/events/details/index/id/NTAyMA~~Melbourne SOLD OUT - 6:00pm 8th August at Readings Emporium: https://www.readings.com.au/events/riley-knight-in-conversationBrisbane SOLD OUT - 6:00pm 14th August at the Brisbane Square Library: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/meet-riley-knight-brisbane-square-library-tickets-1451216099419Maroochydore SOLD OUT - 6:00pm 15th August at Harry Hartog: https://events.humanitix.com/q-and-a-and-signing-with-riley-knightI'll stick around after each show for a Q&A and signings. Looking forward to seeing everyone there! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Man in the Iron Mask, a mysterious prisoner of the French king Louis XIV, who was imprisoned for 34 years without anyone ever learning his true identity. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, understand some of the most important legacies of the French Revolution as it worked to establish a constitutional monarchy, before the ultimate abolition of the monarchy and establishment of a republic in 1792.History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The camera is everywhere, today - we carry them around with us in our pockets - but it has a two-hundred year history that has brought us to this point, filled with groundbreaking, revolutionary technological advancements. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of Charles Boycott, whose immense unpopularity as a landlord let to the term "boycott" being coined. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get across the story of the opening days of the French Revolution - the public protests and disorder which culminated in the legendarily famous Storming of the Bastille. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The bicycle is a truly marvellous invention, not only unlocking an all-new form of personal transportation and mobility, but also offering humanity the greatest gift of all: speed. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: of all things, this week, a guide to how you could try your hand at long-distance running by giving a Couch to 5K a crack.Hi-res version of the Couch to 5K template: https://drive.google.com/file/d/16B3Gd4lUfIcYKrdUmWGknB9izho20SbJ/viewHistory's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, learn about the leadup to and origins of the French Revolution, culminating in the breakdown of the Estates-General and the Tennis Court Oath in 1789. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The stethoscope has provided doctors with an efficient and non-invasive way to assess and diagnose patients, while also helping to advance our understanding of cardiovascular and respiratory illnesses.History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Canadian Caper, when the Canadian government smuggled six US diplomats out of Tehran during the Iran Hostage Crisis using a CIA-backed fake film.History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U:AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, unravel the long and complicated geopolitical history that turned Iran from one of the West's staunchest regional allies in the Middle East into one of its bitterest foes.History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U: AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Canned food has revolutionised the way we eat - by making food last for longer than ever before, it has helped to increase food safety and security for billions of people across hundreds of years.History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy at Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: Chevaliere d’Eon, a spy, soldier, and swashbuckler who blackmailed King Louis XV and lived life as both as man and a woman across the years.History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy at Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, finish off the story of the famed Sir Francis Drake, and hear about his later campaigns agains the Spanish - both successful and unsuccessful. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy at Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Railways revolutionised the world of transport, enabling people and goods to be transported great distances at great speed, more cheaply and efficiently than ever before. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy at Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the St Scholastica Day Riot, when the English university town of Oxford was thrown into the midst of a three-day riot over a disagreement about the quality of some wine. History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy at Booktopia: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, meet Sir Francis Drake, whose lifelong vendetta against the Spanish led to a life of high adventure - including the circumnavigation of the globe.Pre-order History's Strangest Deaths and get 17% off: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The steam engine is a foundational modern technology that underpins today's industrialised world; it also tended to explode and helped to precipitate a climate crisis. So there's that.Pre-order History's Strangest Deaths and get 17% off: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the legend of Lasseter's Reef, a supposed immense fortune in gold that is lost somewhere out in the Australian desert. Pre-order History's Strangest Deaths and get 17% off: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.html Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, uncover the details of the Dyatlov Pass Incident, when something caused nine Soviet hikers to abandon their mountainside tent and perish in the middle of a freezing night - for reasons that have never been conclusively determined.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The thermometer has had a huge impact on many aspects of modern life, none more important than in the field of medicine - where it has helped in revolutionising diagnosis and patient monitoring.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

History's Strangest Deaths, the first Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 5th of August across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or A&U: AU/NZ: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.htmlInternational: https://www.allenandunwin.com/browse/book/Riley-Knight-History's-Strangest-Deaths-9781761472589 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the tale of Mad Jack Mytton, a wild and eccentric character who wasted a colossal fortune away living a life of unbridled, reckless hedonism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, meet the Sacred Band of Thebes, an elite heavy infantry unit, made up of 150 pairs of lovers, that took part in immensely important ancient battles. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The microscope has unlocked whole new worlds for us to explore, over the centuries - but the question of who actually invented it remains unresolved, even today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.