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Half-Arsed History

Half-Arsed History

Written by: Riley Knight
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About this listen

Half-Arsed History's first book, History's Strangest Deaths, is now available: https://www.booktopia.com.au/history-s-strangest-deaths-riley-knight/book/9781761472589.html


Welcome along to Half-Arsed History! It's a weekly podcast highlighting absurd and entertaining stories from history. Twice a week, it helps host Riley Knight feel as though his useless history degree has some kind of real-world relevance.


Get in touch: halfarsedhistory@gmail.com

Support the show on Patreon: https://patreon.com/halfarsedhistory

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/halfarsedhistory

Buy Half-Arsed History merch: https://halfarsedhistory.theprintbar.com


If you've just discovered the show and aren't sure which of the 350+ episodes to start with, here are some suggestions:

Episode 139: The History of the Toilet - https://sptfy.com/PK3J • https://apple.co/3Giftt3

Episode 75: The Great Emu War - https://sptfy.com/PK3K • https://apple.co/4jKCvr7

Episode 197: The History of Nuclear Weapons - https://sptfy.com/PK3L • https://apple.co/4jygYlc

Episode 233: The 1930 FIFA World Cup - https://sptfy.com/PK3M • https://apple.co/4iltL9P

Episode 106: The First Circumnavigation - https://sptfy.com/PK3N • https://apple.co/4jewsLj


Half-Arsed History acknowledges the Traditional Owners and Custodians of the unceded Gubbi Gubbi (Kabi Kabi) Land on which the podcast is written and recorded, and pays respect to First Nations Elders past, present, and emerging. Indigenous sovereignty was never ceded. This continent always was, and always will be, Aboriginal Land.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Riley Knight
Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Week 5: The Day the Music Died
    Jan 29 2026

    This week in history we’ve got the execution of a famous traitor, a tale of revenge served cold, we’ve got the birthdays of conquerors and explorers and activists, and we’ve got the story behind the Day the Music Died.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    39 mins
  • Episode 396: The Horrors of Sarah Island
    Jan 25 2026

    In this week's episode, become acquainted with Macquarie Harbour Penal Station, known as Sarah Island, which was one of the cruellest and most brutal convict settlements in Australia's history.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    1 hr and 3 mins
  • Week 4: When Some Ships Sailed from Botany Bay to Port Jackson
    Jan 22 2026

    This week in history: the publishing of Pride and Prejudice, the first-ever cans of beer, the birthdays of pirates, kings, and composers, and... that time some ships sailed from Botany Bay to Port Jackson.


    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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    39 mins
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