Half-Arsed History

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.

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. 

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.