On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down

When watching a tv journalist interview a victim of the latest <insert atrocity here>, do you gasp in horror? Do your hands reflexively raise to your throat, as if to stifle a cry? Was your horror triggered, not by the victims' suffering or the carnage on the screen, but by the expletive the victim let loose in their anguish on live TV?If so, this book is not for you.James Fell, the Sweary Historian, is on a mission to tell the truth where and how he finds it, without fear or favour, and without a single (d)uck to give. (You do realize it's never duck, right? Just checking.)His writing style is especially attractive to ADHD sufferers like myself, offering short, punchy packets of information that flow like good whisky. It's entertaining to read, easy to digest, and utterly addictive to teenagers who've (predictably) lost all interest in the snore-fest that is classical history instruction.His writing style also attracts absolute metric (tr)uck tons of hate mail from individuals whose feefees were irrevocably injured by learning that nazis, racists, and bigots are bad. Not to mention a whole variety of - um - individuals hiding their frail egos under at least 3 layers of camo and open-carry bazookas when buying milk and bread and eggs for the week. When receiving said hate mail, James likes to read it as he sits by the fireplace, take time to savour every word, and then screenshot the particularly good bits and use them as marketing. Turns out hate mail sells. Whoda thunk?Irreverence aside, both part 1 and part 2 of this series are chock-full of interesting, informative, real stories about real people. I consider myself a font of useless information, but this series has introduced me to a whole new range of people, places, and events I knew nothing about - and that actually matter to the world I live in. I've made quite a stink about my offspring stealing book 1 from me the second she laid eyes on it, but truthfully, I couldn't be happier. I'm waiting to see how long it takes book 2 to disappear from my bookshelf as well.

This is a coffee table must-have. The verbiage and style flow naturally, conversationally. It's like getting the straight story from a friend who has actually studied the subject. Somebody probably famous might have said something like the true mark of intelligence is knowing how to simplify complex subjects, and Fell does that amazingly.

Spurred by the author's announcement of striking a deal with a major publishing house, I wanted to try this edition in the hopes that he would get a larger cut of the proceeds. It's a fun way to learn about history in daily chunks, bigger than the bites one might get from a page-a-day calendar or similar, yet smaller than many history books. If I have any complaint about the book, it's that the author's writing style (which is very conversational) can be challenging to read at times -- I think his publishing deal will be beneficial to everyone in that some editing can touch up the flow of the text, and he'll get the publicity and distribution power of a major publishing house.

Some reviewers complained about the language. Look at the title. If a book has the word "sh!t" in the title, it's likely to have some salty language. This author is known as "the sweary historian." He uses a wide variety of creative profanity. His accounts of historical events are highly entertaining, and perfectly accurate. He has opinions. He tells you what they are. He generally leans left, and he particularly dislikes Nazis. He likes dogs. He sometimes expresses negative opinions about actions taken by the United States. If this will offend you, then don't buy the book. Or buy it and burn it, if you enjoy that sort of thing.If you made it through my first paragraph and are still interested, then buy this book. Buy the sequel. Leave them where your kids will find them, but only after you have had a chance to read them. This may be the only history book they will read voluntarily. I had mine for only a few hours when my son claimed it.The stories are short--one page for one day in history, 366 stories per book. They are great for people who feel they don't have time to read a whole book at once, or who have ADHD, or just like to get information in bite-sized pieces. It is amazing how much context he can fit into a page. You not only get the specific event associated with that day, you also get factors that led up to it and why it matters.

I love James Fell’s style of writing. And the history told in this book is fascinating.

I first heard of James Fell on Facebook, where he maintains a quite popular page. On that page, he has shared excerpts from this and his other book, which inspired me to buy "On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down."The book is filled with short entries--like maybe 2-3 pages at most--about events that happened on certain days of the year. These stories are about events that happened all over the world. All these stories that reflects the idea that maybe colonialism IS bad, and maybe Black and Brown people DID get screwed by white colonists.I'm more informed about American and world history than most Americans, and even so, I've learned some pretty interesting stuff.And yes. This book does have swear words in it. And some very creative ways of using those swear words in combinations that have made me laugh out loud on multiple occasions. If you buy this book and you're all *gasp* "it has swear words!!!", did it ever occur to you that a book titled "On This Day, 💩 Went Down" is probably not going to be written in toddler-friendly language? No? Then don't come here and give the book one star because you lack the cognitive ability to make guesses about the content.

A friend showed me theirs and I thought it was pretty unique, educational, quick bite sized reads of one page, and funny tone. The person I gave it to loves it!

Short, historical stories with a touch of humour and profanity! Just what I ordered! Great book, and a great way to learn little bits of history in a fun and understandable way!

Have you ever had that eccentric teacher at school where you just knew it was going to be a great class? James Fell takes me back to my history teacher who was so cool - asked us to call them by their first name, had a kettle on the classroom so we could make ourselves a coffee and gave us a history discussion rather than a textbook reading - I now find myself making myself a tea before bed and settling in for the "on this day" page before sleep. James' swearing throughout the book is just that added element all of us Australians welcome in our every day life.As for the history content - James gives a very detailed account of all the events that lead up to that moment and why things happened that way. I also follow James' social media accounts and I'm really looking forward to the second book.You will not regret this purchase.

Ever wish you had the "other side" of the story? This book does it and does it better than you'd expect. Why? Because James Fell knows how to take the piss out of a story (while maintaining historical accuracy) and makes you laugh while doing so. I bought this for my 70 year old mother in law, and she loved it.A new addition will be released in October!

I bought this for my 15-year old nephew with autism as a Christmas gift. Perhaps because we are different ages, different genders, or because he is neurodivergent, his reading choices are different than mine, but we both love this book!The author has found a way to make recent and ancient history captivating and compelling - I couldn’t put the book down! And my nephew loved the sweary writing - I think he found it fun.The writing is excellent - I highly recommend this book. Time for me to order the sequel!

Mr. Fell certainly has a way with words. He tells the truth about history, in all its ugly glory. No institution, person, or belief is safe from James and he does NOT waste words. The book will infuriate the evil bullies in our lives. Hopefully they learn a thing or two about history. I doubt it, but there is always hope to turn the freedumb loving fascists away from their PPs and their Trumpdohs.It's a really good book. Get it.