Yes, the topic this week is the number 40. Yes, it's episode 41. What can we say. We're historians, not mathematicians.
Obvious stupidity and working ourselves into a corner aside (genuinely, we - specifically Sam - are absolute idiots) we've got a cracker this week. Tom's started from the beginning, that is, 40AD. Which just happens to be when Agricola, Roman Governor of Britain and subject of the book with the imaginative title 'Agriocola' was born. We take a whirlwind trip through Tacitus' history of the apparently quite nice (but still quite murderous) Roman leader.
Next, Sam given an honourable mention to ancient Egypt and the Tessarakonteres (which means 40), the largest human-powered ship ever built. Just a shade smaller than Noah's Ark, it had 4,000 rowers and a total crew of nearly 10,000. And was utterly useless as anything except a fancy garden ornament.
After that, we head to Britain in the 1840s and railway mania, with some of the ridiculous stories of madness, rioting, stealing trains and literal locotmotive tugs of war that characterised Britain's Victorian transport fever.
Subscribe and listen to us! Apple Music // Podbean // Overcast // Stitcher // TuneIn // Spotify
Welcome to That Was Genius: Two blokes. A 12-hour time difference. 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 but lives in New Zealand), 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.
A Boyscout at Terminal Velocity (Seas week) - That Was Genius Episode 99
Freemasons in Comedy Breasts (Coups week) - That Was Genius Episode 97
A Risky Night at the Zoo Brothel (Tyrants week) - That Was Genius Episode 95
Give 'em the Old Razzle Dazzle (Weapons week) - That Was Genius Episode 93
That Was Genius Christmas Quiz 2020
Seven Times on the Knob (Best Friends week) - That Was Genius Episode 91
A Dwarf in Crotchless Underwear (Hangovers week) - That Was Genius Episode 89
Milking the Billy Goat (Cars week) - That Was Genius Episode 87
Rocky Balboa F*sting Horses (Naturalists week) - That Was Genius Episode 85
Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr Truman? (Civil Wars week) - That Was Genius Episode 83
A Long Wait for 15 Seconds of Action (Things that never happened week) - That Was Genius Episode 81
Jib all Over the Place (Ships week) - That Was Genius Episode 79
That Was Genius Episode 78 - Thirty Unwilling Goats (Pictures week patron exclusive)
The Time Travelling Friar or A Wagger of Ballocks (bands week)- That Was Genius Episode 77
Bash Street's Back Alright! (Errant Youth week) - That Was Genius Episode 75
A Cack-handed Tossing of Children and Females (left-handed week) - That Was Genius Episode 73
That IS a tasty Cabbage (Sidekicks week) - That Was Genius Episode 71
Digging for Brown Gold (Hobbies week) - That Was Genius Episode 69
Trousers Down, and Present the S**t (Weddings week) - That Was Genius Episode 67
Chocks Out for the Lads (Accents week) - That Was Genius Episode 65
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
If You Give A Dad A Podcast
Cheeky Chops comedy podcast.
Wait Wait... Don’t Tell Me!
Adam Carolla Show
Office Ladies