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Half-Arsed History
Update: Half-Arsed History in 2026
Changes are coming to Half-Arsed History in 2026! Some positive, some negative - here is the TL;DL:
• There will now only be two episodes released each week: the usual full-length episode and a new series called This Week in History, replacing QAH
• I'm pulling back a little bit to try to bring my unsustainable workload back under control, reduce burnout, and find better balance
• Half-Arsed History's second book is coming later in 2026, the manuscript is currently being written and edited
• A brand-new Half-Arsed History card game is in the works, and you can be involved with playtesting and illustration
• The show's merch will undergo a full and proper refresh later in the year - artists are encouraged to submit portfolios
• A big goal for the show in 2026 is growth, so please tell your friends, enemies, and people about whom you feel largely ambivalent about Half-Arsed History
List of historical figures likely to appear in the card game: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1KEsNw2oTfuXZOn-dU3-dtVhHJAvY0dt0DNbzhIVBbMY
The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the second Half-Arsed History book, releases on the 29th of September across the Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand region. Pre-order your copy from Booktopia or Readings:
AU/NZ (affiliate link): https://booktopia.kh4ffx.net/bkq2G9
International: https://www.readings.com.au/product/9781761472596/the-most-interesting-people-youve-never-heard-of--riley-knight--2026--9781761472596
More episodes
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10425. Episode 425: The Capture of the USS Chesapeake
52:46||Ep. 10425In this week's episode, learn all about the capture of the USS Chesapeake, a fascinating duel that took place between two frigates during the War of 1812.
50033. Week 33: The Bermuda Gunpowder Heist
26:05||Ep. 50033This week in history we’ve got the birth of a great friend of the show, we’ve got a marvel of modern engineering, we’ve got armies mobilising to cut down a tree - and we’ve got an audacious heist of gunpowder which was instrumental to the American Revolution.
10424. Episode 424: Vincent van Gogh, the Tortured Artist
01:00:19||Ep. 10424In this week's episode, meet Vincent van Gogh, the famous Dutch painter whose colourful and vivid paintings stood in sharp contrast to his difficult and troubled life.
50032. Week 32: Lt. General Patton Slaps a Soldier... Again
27:15||Ep. 50032This week in history we’ve got the defeat of a great Spanish fleet, we’ve got the construction of a famous but slightly wobbly Italian landmark, we’ve got the infamous end of a US presidency - and we’ve got the time a US general slapped one of his soldiers, again.
10423. Episode 423: The Plague of Athens
52:16||Ep. 10423In this week's episode, hear all about the deadly horrors of the Plague of Athens, and tackle the question - what was the plague itself, in the first place?
50031. Week 31: The Hammer and Feather on the Moon
24:05||Ep. 50031This week in history we’ve got ancient Romans slaughtered by the thousand, we’ve got champagne not getting invented, we’ve got the disaster that was the first transatlantic telegraph cable, and we’ve got a famous physics demonstration held on the Moon.
10422. Episode 422: Athens vs. Sparta - the Peloponnesian War
57:15||Ep. 10422In this week's episode, learn all about one of the most important and iconic conflicts from the history of Ancient Greece: the Peloponnesian War, when the rivalry between Athens and Sparta was settled once and for all.
Apologies to Apple Podcasts Subscribers
02:38|I can't log into my Apple Podcasts account - the 2FA code thing isn't working while I'm overseas (despite me setting it up with my overseas number before I left), so ads might be playing on what should be ad-free episodes for Apple Podcasts subscribers. I'm really, really sorry; I'm still trying to fix it, worst case scenario is I'll (hopefully) be able to back in Australia. In the meantime, please accept my very sincere apologies.
50030. Week 30: Tobacco Comes to England
27:45||Ep. 50030This week in history we’ve got skulls being made into drinkware, we’ve got German nobles drowning in sewage, we’ve got the death of the last Sapa Inca, and we’ve got the official introduction of tobacco to England, thanks to the efforts of the famous Sir Walter Raleigh.