Half-Arsed History

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.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the tale of Elmer McCurdy, whose brief career as an unsuccessful criminal was overshadowed by a much longer posthumour career as a sideshow attraction.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get across a few more of the funniest art heists in history - including, unusually, an update on something featured in a previous episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The telescope is a device that, for the last four hundred years, has helped us unlock the mysteries and secrets of our solar system, galaxy, and indeed universe.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Egon Kisch Affair, when the Australian government went to ludicrous and ultimately unsuccessful lengths to block an anti-Nazi campaigner from entering the country. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, learn all about the Knights Templar - who they were, why they were founded, what they did, and what led to their ultimate downfall. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The flushing toilet not only represents a very important development in the history of human sanitation and health, but is also a lot of fun to talk about on a tinpot history podcast.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the mysterious tale of the Mary Celeste - an abandoned, derelict ship that was discovered floating in the middle of the Atlantic, with no sign of what had happened to its crew. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, hear about some of the longest wars that were never actually fought - four different conflicts where war was declared before being ignored or just plain forgotten about, in some cases for several centuries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The printing press is one of or perhaps the most important invention in human history, inspiring revolutions across science, religion, society, culture, and politics by making information more accessible than ever before.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Cadaver Synod, the time a dead pope was dug up out of the ground and put on trial as a corpse. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, hear about five of the most ridiculous stories to emerge from the history of papal conclaves - from foul-mouthed brawling, to papier-mache crowns, to the time there were four popes in a single year. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Clocks are everywhere - we are more or less always surrounded by timekeeping devices of all different kinds, but it was the mechanical clock, specifically, that ushered in an era of accurate, reliable horology.Marshall Sutcliffe from Wristwatch Revival working on the watches I wear:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJFNcfT-7HQhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G5ziU2-9yOohttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4eQp4VAjZ00 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Defenestrations of Prague, an account of the multiple time that angry Bohemian Protestants have hurled Catholics out of windows as acts of political protest. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, learn all about the papal conclave: what preceded it, its origins, its centuries of history, and all that we know about how it elects popes today, in the 21st century. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Eyeglasses, as a very important invention, have evolved from an expensive and somewhat unreliable piece of specialist equipment to something that half the world's population makes daily use of.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the (somewhat unverified) tale of Timothy Dexter, who amassed a vast fortune by making some of the most ludicrous business decisions you'll ever hear.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, learn all about Australian elections - how they originated, how they've changed, how they work today, and how their results lead to parliamentary governments being formed. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The compass has been used as a navigational tool for a thousand years, guiding ships and aeroplanes around the world - but for a thousand years before that, it served a different (and slightly less useful) role. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History present: the tale of the 14th-century noblewoman Jeanne de Clisson, who, after the execution of her husband at the hands of the French king, turned to a life of piracy and terrorised French shipping in the English Channel. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get stuck into another tragic chapter in Scottish history with the stories of the Jacobite Risings and the famous Battle of Culloden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gunpowder revolutionised human warfare, ushering in a new chapter in the history of our species as we left behind swords and shields to fire guns and cannons instead.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.