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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
More episodes
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10418. Episode 418: The Stonewall Riots, the Origin of Pride
50:09||Ep. 10418In this week's episode, learn about the Stonewall Riots, which took place in the wake of a police raid on a NYC gay bar and catalysed the growing gay rights movement.
50026. Week 26: The Tunguska Event
29:09||Ep. 50026This week in history we’ve got the battle that unified Japan, we’ve got the death of a famous detective, we’ve got the event that kicked off the First World War - and we’ve got the time a mysterious Siberian fireball left scientists baffled for decades.
10417. Episode 417: The History of the FIFA World Cup - Part 3
01:07:58||Ep. 10417In this week's episode, conclude the tour of World Cup history with the details of the tournaments from 1990 onwards - all the highlights and lowlights, including persistent issues surrounding bribery and corruption.
50025. Week 25: The Hand of God
30:19||Ep. 50025This week in history we’ve decisive battles for the East India Company and for friend of the show Napoleon, we’ve got a river of burning whiskey flowing through Dublin, and we’ve got the infamous Hand of God, from the 1986 World Cup.
10416. Episode 416: The History of the FIFA World Cup - Part 2
01:02:03||Ep. 10416In this week's episode, continue to discover the story of the FIFA Men's World Cup, from the postwar return of the tournament in 1950, across years of development and controversy, to the end of the 1980s, as the modern event took shape.
50024. Week 24: The 1955 Le Mans Disaster
36:35||Ep. 50024This week in history we’ve got the reason the Taj Mahal was built, we’ve got the debut of the world’s first bike, we’ve got the delivery of the Statue of Liberty - and we’ve got the story of the most infamously deadly motorsports disaster in history.
10415. Episode 415: The History of the FIFA World Cup - Part 1
51:05||Ep. 10415In this week's episode, get across the early history of the FIFA Men's World Cup, from its forerunners and precursors to its early emergence and development.
50023. Week 23: The Treaty of Tordesillas
27:37||Ep. 50023This week in history we’ve got an unlucky French astronomer, an absurd religious festival, and a riotous baseball game where beer was ten cents a cup - and we’ve got the history of a treaty that divided the world up between two European imperial powers.
10414. Episode 414: The Hindenburg Disaster
57:53||Ep. 10414In this week's episode, learn all about the Hindenburg Disaster, when a German rigid airship went up in flames in Lakehurst, USA - and the very significant long-term impact of this catastrophe.