Episode notes
We sat with Michael Farquhar to discuss his latest book More Bad Days in History: The Delightfully Dismal, Day-by-Day Saga of Ignominy, Idiocy, and Incompetence Continues.
A fascinating book that gives us a unique take on our history, one of misfortune. A treasure trove of 365 historical misfortunes. One for every day of the year, and ranging from trivial to momentous, from laughable to cringeworthy. Some even delivered without a punchline or a commentary, relying on our common sense to see the absurdity.
You’ll learn about a charlatan seeking donations to avert a 900-foot-tall Jesus’s wrath; about innovators ridiculed early on by ignorant pundits but ultimately vindicated; a founding father’s wishes to find a more suitable title for our nation’s highest office (His Majesty); a scientific paper using derogative remarks when referrin ...
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