About this episode

This episode covers the first ascent of the Matterhorn along with notable historical events.

This week in history we’ve got an iconic moment from the French revolution, we’ve got a famous historical duel, we’ve got someone trying to get to the North Pole in a balloon - and we’ve got the tale of the first expedition to summit the Matterhorn, and the tragedy that struck afterwards. 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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

People in this episode

Host: Riley Knight

Topics covered

• Matterhorn
• French revolution
• historical duel
• North Pole expedition
• tragedy
• exploration

Keywords

• Matterhorn
• French revolution
• historical duel
• North Pole
• expedition
• tragedy
• Riley Knight

Mentioned in this episode

Products: The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of

Places: North Pole, Australia, Aotearoa New Zealand

More episodes of Half-Arsed History

• Episode 421: The Successful Failure of Apollo 13 · July 21, 2026 · 53 min
• Week 29: The Football War · July 15, 2026 · 23 min
• Episode 420: The History of Cannabis · July 12, 2026 · 1h 1m
• Episode 419: Mata Hari, the Seductress-Turned-Spy · July 5, 2026 · 1h 3m
• Week 27: Oxford University’s 500-Year Grudge · July 1, 2026 · 24 min
• Announcing: The Most Interesting People You've Never Heard Of, the second Half-Arsed History book · June 30, 2026 · 10 min

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