Half-Arsed History

Glass, technically, may be a naturally-occuring material, but the way that humans have learn to create, shape, and change it over the millennia has had a strong influence on the way we live our lives - an influence that we take for granted. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: a brief account of how a relatively minor colonial spat between Britain and Spain became known by one of the silliest names in history - the War of Jenkins' Ear. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, hear the tale of the mutiny on the Wager, when a group of sailors stranded off the South American coast rose up against their stubborn captain, leaving him for dead.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Soap has been used by humans for thousands and thousands of years to keep our things clean, and for hundreds and hundreds of years to keep our bodies clean. By most people, anyway. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the biggest cop-out episode in this podcast's entire history, one that involves Riley just reading out a week of entries from Samuel Pepys' diary. More like Eighth-Arsed History tbh Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, learn all about the Great Fire of London, which ripped through the city in 1666, turning it into a smoking ruin.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writing is a transformative invention, enabling human development and advancement by offering language persistence and durability, creating a collective memory for humankind and transmitting meaning across time. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the supposed tale behind the creation of the poem Kubla Khan, one of Samuel Taylor Coleridge's most famous works.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, meet Marco Polo, the famous Italian explorer, and learn all about his travels to the Far East.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The plough is a humble and ancient invention that revolutionised agriculture around the world, helping to generate food surpluses that in turn enabled human development and technological advancement.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the tale of Ubre Blanca, a cow that rose to become a national icon in Cuba, a favourite of the Cuban leader at the time, Fidel Castro. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, continue to learn the history of cricket, from its rise as an international sporting competition across the late 19th century to the popular, professional sport it is today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The wheel was and still is a revolutionary invention, transforming transportation, agriculture, and industry, while laying a technological foundation for countless other immensely significant innovations.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the story of Australia's first-ever international sporting tour, when in 1868 a group of indigenous Australians travelled all the way to England to play cricket. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, learn about the early origins of cricket, and its development from an informal childrens' game to a major sport played across the world, throughout the British Empire. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here is a brief retrospective on the Monuments series, including the reasoning behind the exclusion of some monuments, what went into making the series, and the biggest challenges in putting episodes together. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's monument is the Sydney Opera House, one of the most famous and instantly-recognisable Australian landmarks, one that has graced the Sydney skyline since 1973. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: a brief history of Santa Claus, and how he has emerged and developed as a central part of modern Christmas celebrations, with a multifaceted origin story that goes back centuries. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get across the history of Christmas, from its emergence as an early Christian festival co-opting existing celebrations, to the massive, worldwide event it is today. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's monument is the Berlin Wall, an enormous, 155 kilometre-long wall that once divided the city of Berlin in two before its eventual fall in 1989. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: Frank Shackleton and his potential connection with the theft of the Irish Crown Jewels - never conclusively proven, but nonetheless involving quite a few controversial and scandalous details. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, meet the famed explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton, who led the ill-fated Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition into the Antarctic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's monument is the Hiroshima Peace Memorial, the semi-ruined remains of the only building to survive in the immediate vicinity of the atomic bomb that was dropped on the Japanese city of Hiroshima in August 1945. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: a brief history of Pigeon Post, how humans have used homing pigeons to facilitate speedy, long-distance communication for thousands and thousands of years. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, meet five famous animals who have all served in the military: Cher Ami the pigeon, Wojtek the bear, Simon the cat, Reckless the pony, and William the goat. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's monument is Mount Rushmore, also known as Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe - a mountainside in the US state of South Dakota that features colossal sculptures of four notable US presidents.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the tale of Sir Hubert Wilkins, a photographer, pilot, war hero, explorer, and ornithologist who led a truly remarkable life. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We did it - they gave this man a book deal! "History's Strangest Deaths" will be published by Allen & Unwin next year, with more information coming in a few months. Thank you so much to everyone for all the encouragement and support - it is so exciting to think that the first Half-Arsed History book is coming in 2025! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get to know the US civil rights activise Rosa Parks, who made a stand for justice when she refused to give up her seat on a racially-segregated bus.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's monument is the Golden Gate Bridge, an (allegedly) orange suspension bridge that spans the entrance to the San Francisco Bay in the US.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the reign of Caracalla and Geta, two murderous brothers who served - very briefly - as co-emperors of the Roman Empire.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, learn all about the history of ancient Roman gladiators: who they were, how they trained and fought, and what happened to them when they won or lost.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's monument is the Sydney Harbour Bridge, an icon not just of Sydney but of Australia more broadly - as painful as that may be for a Victorian to admit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the 1981 Underarm Bowling Scandal, when the Australian ODI cricket team scored a controversial victory over the Kiwis with the use of a disgracefully unsporting bowling technique.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, meet Sir Donald Bradman, who was undoubtedly the best cricketer in history and might just be the best sportsperson to have lived.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's monument is Christ the Redeemer, a colossal mountaintop statue of Jesus that overlooks the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the first airborne crossing of the English Channel, where two men had to come up with a very inventive and very funny way to drop weight from their balloon.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get to know four of the worst president in the history of the United States of America: John Tyler, James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Warren G. Harding. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's monument is the Hollywood sign, an icon of the US city of Los Angeles and a symbol of the mighty US film industry. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the untimely death of William Henry Harrison, whose 31-day presidency remains the shortest in US history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, learn about three of the most controversial presidential elections in US history and the root cause behind them: the broken Electoral College system. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's monument is Chateau Frontenac, a beautiful palace-like building perched on a hill overlooking Quebec City in Canada. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Melbourne Cup, a famous horse race held each year in Melbourne, Victoria, which has generated a few interesting stories across its long history. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, get to know Artur Virgilio Alves Reis and hear about the incredible fraud he undertook in 1924, scamming his way into 100 million Portuguese escudos. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's episode is the Eiffel Tower, perhaps the best-known monument on the face of the planet, an iconic part of the French capital, Paris. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the Dancing Plague of 1518, a bizarre, unexplained phenomenon that saw the citizens of Strasbourg take to the streets and dance unceasingly for weeks on end. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, meet Johann Strauss II, a brilliant composer from the Romantic period, famous for his lively and joyful waltzes.Strauss playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/195Ic94w6sCRNi19f0G1UP?si=54adb35532604621 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week's monument is the Statue of Liberty, an instantly-recognisable symbol of the United States of America that has a thoroughly non-American origin story. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: Carlos Kaiser, a conman who managed to build a 13-year career as a star soccer player, without ever actually taking to the pitch and playing a game. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this week's episode, hear the true story of the Great Escape, when Allied prisoners of war made a daring attempt at a mass breakout from a Nazi prison camp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.