The Most Interesting People You Have Never Heard Of with Riley Knight

History is just a collection of the stories we’ve decided are worth remembering. Of the 100 billion people who have lived, only a tiny proportion of their stories have survived; to make things worse, of these surviving stories we have a bad habit of remembering the same few over and over again.

Join author and podcast host, Riley Knight, to hear about those found on the margins of history: those whose stories are not quite forgotten, but nowhere near as well-remembered or well-known as they should be.

From the ancient Greek philosopher who lived in a jar to the first person to fly (naked) over the English Channel; from the jester who was gifted a grand manor for the quality of his farts to the Pope who hosted orgies before selling the papacy for money; from the opera singer who burnt down a nunnery to rescue her girlfriend to the prime minister who was killed and eaten by his people - history is littered with little-known stories that are amusing, astonishing, absurd, and, above all else, interesting. 

Copies of Riley's book will be available for purchase on the night courtesy of Planet Books. You can reserve your copy when booking your ticket.

About the Author

Riley Knight is the host of Half-Arsed History, a weekly podcast highlighting absurd and entertaining stories from history. Born in Melbourne, Victoria, Riley became a primary school teacher after finishing his mostly-useless Arts degree, and began Half-Arsed History as a hobby while teaching grade three. The podcast has only grown since then, with millions of downloads across the world, live shows across Australia, and now a growing series of books.  

After spending almost a decade living in Europe, Riley now lives on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, and consistently produces new episodes of Half-Arsed History every week (except when the cricket is on, at which time he produces them inconsistently). He enjoys reading, long-distance running, and collecting little historical artefacts.