Half-Arsed History

In this week’s episode, get to know the remarkable Beatrix Potter, whose historical legacy goes a lot further than just the authorship of an immensely successful series of children’s books. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/692ea207586b1ee45442cbc3.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

In this week’s episode, hear about the history behind the names of five nations, all named after real historical figures. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/6928193c343bf463ae893d95.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

In this episode, get across the origin and history of a fierce century-and-a-half sporting rivalry, brought to life whenever Australia face off against England in Test cricket: the Ashes. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/6921134bc367efee964a238a.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

In this week’s episode, hear the story of the Dismissal: the 1975 Australian Constitutional Crisis, when Prime Minister Gough Whitlam was turfed out by the governor-general. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/691057cc7728b8766c45d130.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

In this week’s episode, apropos of nothing, meet three historical younger-born princes who nothing but a royal pain in the arse for their older brothers. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/69087186b3fd97de49e4b499.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

In this week’s episode, learn about the Louvre’s most infamous heist: the time that the Mona Lisa itself was stolen by an Italian carpenter named Vincenzo Peruggia. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/6901cf1c442f18bd1e15317c.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

In this week’s episode, get stuck into the mystery of the Tichborne Claimant, when a butcher from Wagga Wagga claimed to be the long-lost heir to a British noble family’s fortune. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/68f4830c59323046cad4f0c7.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

In this week’s episode, get to know Matthew Flinders, the explorer and navigator who was the first person to circumnavigate Australia – and later popularised the name we all use to refer to it today. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/68eefbe951a2f46134798d19.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

In this week’s episode, uncover the truth behind five more historical misconceptions: what Roman vomitoriums were used for, mediaeval life expectancies, Dom Perignon inventing champagne, Mussolini making the trains run on time, and chloroform knocking you out instantly. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/68e202f42ba1e616c1f37466.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

In this week’s episode, meet Matilda of Tuscany, also known as the “Great Countess”, a woman who played a very important role in the politics of the Papacy and the Holy Roman Empire at the outset of the Investiture Controversy. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/68df1527bd7f04b74f420cc1.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

In this week’s episode, meet Dick Turpin, an 18th-century highwayman who passed into English folklore for his daring predations as a violent criminal. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/68cce8c92368c9ec80bf7922.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

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. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/68c6297124c6e67e68400c32.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

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). https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/68a1829f66f126ae3f8d60d7.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

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. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/68a18231bf1254c505bdf68b.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

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. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/68a1822fbf1254c505bdf62f.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

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. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/68a181d58f8e6e84617cd17a.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

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. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/689bfba5436325e278a6ac5e.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

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. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/687db41cffe3b22d13ba2311.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

Half-Arsed History is going on tour again! Join me in Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane as I go through some of the stories from History’s Strangest Deaths, and share juicy (and potentially litigious) behind-the-scenes details about how the book was made. Sydney – 6:00pm 7th August at the Chauvel Cinema, tickets $20: https://www.dymocks.com.au/events/details/index/id/NTAyMA~~ Melbourne – 6:00pm 8th August at Readings Emporium, tickets FREE: https://www.readings.com.au/events/riley-knight-in-conversation Brisbane – 6:00pm 14th August at the Brisbane Square Library, tickets FREE: https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/meet-riley-knight-brisbane-square-library-tickets-1451216099419 I’ll stick around after each show for a Q&A and signings. Looking forward to seeing everyone there! https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/686760be8779c2fec6c7d0db.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)

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. https://open.acast.com/public/streams/65a47774968ba8001771f445/episodes/6863a055653df36e7b54e09b.mp3 Download Episode (Right click and select “Save as…”)