That Was Genius - A Funny History Podcast

Fellow historians. It's our last EVER episode. What a blast we've had. And we're going out with a ruddy big bang - our rudest episode yet (by far)!

Sam kicks us off with a tour of medieval swearing, and how rudely named streets can be used to track the economy of England in the middle ages. Next, Tom takes a look at Roman and Greek graffiti. Which is just as childish as you'd expect. 

It's been a pleasure podcasting with you all for the last three years! If you'd like more That Was Genius, pop over to www.patreon.com/thatwasgenius where you can still get all the 20+ exclusive episodes, songs and doodles (just cancel your subscription once you're done listening). All the cash from the next few months will go to humanitarian aid charities. Just to prove we're not total b**tards.

Subscribe and listen to us! Apple Music // Podbean // Overcast // Stitcher // TuneIn // Spotify

Welcome to That Was Genius: Two blokes. An immature sense of humour. And 10,000 years of human civilisation. A weekly podcast looking at the weirder side of history.

Join Sam Datta-Paulin (he likes history and lives in Britain) and Tom Berry (he also likes history and used to live in New Zealand but is now in the UK as well), for a weekly reflection on the bold, the brilliant... And the downright strange.

From bizarre events and stories to equally odd inventions, barely a day goes by without something incredible (or incredibly stupid) happening around the world.

We upload new episodes every Wednesday night/Thursday morning (UK time).

Check us out on Facebook (and our Facebook group for memes and fun), Instagram, Twitter and via our website, and please do subscribe to us and leave us a review if you like what you hear!

It's time to lean back and take stock(market), as we look at all things boom and bust.

Tom kicks us off with a look at the Drunk Oil Trading Incident, and the Great Comic Book Bubble. Meanwhile Sam's been looking at Tulip Mania and the South Sea Bubble. Sorted.

Next week's episode is a patron exclusive all about swearing, and it's an flipping blinder! Find it at patreon.com/thatwasgenius

Subscribe and listen to us! Apple Music // Podbean // Overcast // Stitcher // TuneIn // Spotify

Welcome to That Was Genius: Two blokes. An immature sense of humour. And 10,000 years of human civilisation. A weekly podcast looking at the weirder side of history.

Join Sam Datta-Paulin (he likes history and lives in Britain) and Tom Berry (he also likes history and used to live in New Zealand but is now in the UK as well), for a weekly reflection on the bold, the brilliant... And the downright strange.

From bizarre events and stories to equally odd inventions, barely a day goes by without something incredible (or incredibly stupid) happening around the world.

We upload new episodes every Wednesday night/Thursday morning (UK time).

Check us out on Facebook (and our Facebook group for memes and fun), Instagram, Twitter and via our website, and please do subscribe to us and leave us a review if you like what you hear!

We got confused! It's medical procedures week, but Sam jumped the gun and did a man behaving badly. Doh.

Tom kicks us off with a look at the early 20th century obsession with grafting bits of animal (or criminal) testicle onto the knackers of well-to-do gentlemen and professional sportsmen to boost their performance.

Meanwhile, Sam's been looking at Saci, the naughty, smelly, wish-granting, smelly, impish, smelly Brazilian folk legend.

Next week's episode is a patron exclusive all about Men Behaving Badly (again, for Sam)! Find it at patreon.com/thatwasgenius

Subscribe and listen to us! Apple Music // Podbean // Overcast // Stitcher // TuneIn // Spotify

Welcome to That Was Genius: Two blokes. An immature sense of humour. And 10,000 years of human civilisation. A weekly podcast looking at the weirder side of history.

Join Sam Datta-Paulin (he likes history and lives in Britain) and Tom Berry (he also likes history and used to live in New Zealand but is now in the UK as well), for a weekly reflection on the bold, the brilliant... And the downright strange.

From bizarre events and stories to equally odd inventions, barely a day goes by without something incredible (or incredibly stupid) happening around the world.

We upload new episodes every Wednesday night/Thursday morning (UK time).

Check us out on Facebook (and our Facebook group for memes and fun), Instagram, Twitter and via our website, and please do subscribe to us and leave us a review if you like what you hear!

Choo choo, steaming in two months late, we're back!

This week it's all about trains. Sam kicks us off with a look at the Australian 'Afghan' or 'Ghan' camel trains of the 19th century. 

Next, Tom's looking at the ancient Greek sort-of-railway, sort of road for boats, the 'Diolkos'.

Next week's episode is a patron exclusive all about people called Tom and Sam! Find it at patreon.com/thatwasgenius

Subscribe and listen to us! Apple Music // Podbean // Overcast // Stitcher // TuneIn // Spotify

Welcome to That Was Genius: Two blokes. An immature sense of humour. And 10,000 years of human civilisation. A weekly podcast looking at the weirder side of history.

Join Sam Datta-Paulin (he likes history and lives in Britain) and Tom Berry (he also likes history and used to live in New Zealand but is now in the UK as well), for a weekly reflection on the bold, the brilliant... And the downright strange.

From bizarre events and stories to equally odd inventions, barely a day goes by without something incredible (or incredibly stupid) happening around the world.

We upload new episodes every Wednesday night/Thursday morning (UK time).

Check us out on Facebook (and our Facebook group for memes and fun), Instagram, Twitter and via our website, and please do subscribe to us and leave us a review if you like what you hear!

Hi everyone, 

We've taken the decision to give ourselves a few weeks break from the podcast to reset and get ourselves sorted out. Sam's daughter has just started nursery so is perennially low-level ill, and his day job is going through a busy spot which doesn't leave much free time to write and edit this old thing.

If you're a Patron (patreon.com/thatwasgenius) you'll be getting a refund until we kick off again. Hopefully it won't be long, but making history podcasts is a surprising amount of work, even ones as chaotic as this! In future, we might look at doing seasons to avoid burnout, but the plan for now is to come back full time, soon.

Best wishes (and sorry),

Sam (and Tom)

Like carving a pumpkin at Halloween, sprouts at Christmas, and burning policemen in giant wicker cages, this week it's all about traditions!

Sam kicks us off this week with a look at the not-as-nice-as-it-sounds Aztec tradition of the Flower War - a sporting contest with very real and deadly consequences, and an even worse runner-up prize.

Nest, Tom's been looking at 'Line Crossing' ceremonies: The filthy, raucous, and often unwilling initiation ceremonies for sailors on their first crossing of the equator.

Next week's episode is a patron exclusive all about Honours and Awards! Find it at patreon.com/thatwasgenius

Subscribe and listen to us! Apple Music // Podbean // Overcast // Stitcher // TuneIn // Spotify

Welcome to That Was Genius: Two blokes. An immature sense of humour. And 10,000 years of human civilisation. A weekly podcast looking at the weirder side of history.

Join Sam Datta-Paulin (he likes history and lives in Britain) and Tom Berry (he also likes history and used to live in New Zealand but is now in the UK as well), for a weekly reflection on the bold, the brilliant... And the downright strange.

From bizarre events and stories to equally odd inventions, barely a day goes by without something incredible (or incredibly stupid) happening around the world.

We upload new episodes every Wednesday night/Thursday morning (UK time).

Check us out on Facebook (and our Facebook group for memes and fun), Instagram, Twitter and via our website, and please do subscribe to us and leave us a review if you like what you hear!

Well we nearly didn't make this one (Tom's mic broke). But we survived and we're back with an episode all about feats of survival!

Tom's up first this week, with the parallel tales of H.M. Stanley and Dr David Livingstone, whose lives collided with the famous greeting, "Dr Livingstone, I presume"?

Next, Sam's been looking at survival from a great number of feet, rather than feats, with a dive into high-altitude ballooning and space skydiving!

Next week's episode is a patron exclusive all about security! Find it at patreon.com/thatwasgenius

Subscribe and listen to us! Apple Music // Podbean // Overcast // Stitcher // TuneIn // Spotify

Welcome to That Was Genius: Two blokes. An immature sense of humour. And 10,000 years of human civilisation. A weekly podcast looking at the weirder side of history.

Join Sam Datta-Paulin (he likes history and lives in Britain) and Tom Berry (he also likes history and used to live in New Zealand but is now in the UK as well), for a weekly reflection on the bold, the brilliant... And the downright strange.

From bizarre events and stories to equally odd inventions, barely a day goes by without something incredible (or incredibly stupid) happening around the world.

We upload new episodes every Wednesday night/Thursday morning (UK time).

Check us out on Facebook (and our Facebook group for memes and fun), Instagram, Twitter and via our website, and please do subscribe to us and leave us a review if you like what you hear!

It's internet week (Beep beep, boop boop, modem screeching noises)!

Sam starts us off with a look at project CyberSyn, a 1970s attempt by communist Chile to let a computer with a millionth the power of an iPhone run its entire economy.

Next, Tom's been looking at archaeological finds identified through the highly scientific medium of... Google Earth.

Next week's episode is a patron exclusive all about light! Find it at patreon.com/thatwasgenius

Subscribe and listen to us! Apple Music // Podbean // Overcast // Stitcher // TuneIn // Spotify

Welcome to That Was Genius: Two blokes. An immature sense of humour. And 10,000 years of human civilisation. A weekly podcast looking at the weirder side of history.

Join Sam Datta-Paulin (he likes history and lives in Britain) and Tom Berry (he also likes history and used to live in New Zealand but is now in the UK as well), for a weekly reflection on the bold, the brilliant... And the downright strange.

From bizarre events and stories to equally odd inventions, barely a day goes by without something incredible (or incredibly stupid) happening around the world.

We upload new episodes every Wednesday night/Thursday morning (UK time).

Check us out on Facebook (and our Facebook group for memes and fun), Instagram, Twitter and via our website, and please do subscribe to us and leave us a review if you like what you hear!

It's been... A While. But we're back, tanned, and ready to go!

This week it's all about Italy. Tom has been looking at operation Mincemeat, the allied attempts to thwart Axis intelligence in the lead up to the Italian campaign in WW2.

Meanwhile Sam's been taking a look at the history of the worlds (sort of) oldest and (sort of) smallest country, San Marino!

Next week's episode is a patron exclusive all about showbiz! Find it at patreon.com/thatwasgenius

Subscribe and listen to us! Apple Music // Podbean // Overcast // Stitcher // TuneIn // Spotify

Welcome to That Was Genius: Two blokes. An immature sense of humour. And 10,000 years of human civilisation. A weekly podcast looking at the weirder side of history.

Join Sam Datta-Paulin (he likes history and lives in Britain) and Tom Berry (he also likes history and used to live in New Zealand but is now in the UK as well), for a weekly reflection on the bold, the brilliant... And the downright strange.

From bizarre events and stories to equally odd inventions, barely a day goes by without something incredible (or incredibly stupid) happening around the world.

We upload new episodes every Wednesday night/Thursday morning (UK time).

Check us out on Facebook (and our Facebook group for memes and fun), Instagram, Twitter and via our website, and please do subscribe to us and leave us a review if you like what you hear!