Half-Arsed History

Quarter-Arsed History presents: more of the silliest laws still in effect in Tasmania, Western Australia, and South Australia including posing an an architect, challenging someone to a duel, and getting stuck in a fridge. 

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.

Aspirin was one of the very first mass-produced pharmaceuticals, and its invention and development has a very interesting backstory filled with disagreement and uncertainty.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: the silliest laws still on the books in Victoria, NSW, and Queensland - including prohibitions against corresponding with pirates, riding bikes backwards, and keeping rabbits as pets.

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.

The X-ray machine changed medicine forever, enabling an easy and (eventually) safe way to see inside the human body non-invasively for diagnosis and treatment.

Quarter-Arsed History presents: a brief summary of some of the most absurd laws that are, technically speaking, still in force across the UK - including suspiciously handling a fish, carrying a ladder down the street, and including getting drunk in a pub.

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.

The automobile is one of the most transformative inventions in human history, completely changing the way transportation, society, culture, business, industry, and so much more work within modern human civilisation.