Idiots, Follies and Misadventures

by Mikey Robins

The history books are full of heroes and villains … but what about all the idiots? Comedian and armchair historian Mikey Robins tells the astonishing story of human stupidity, one idiot at a time.

Two things are the universe and human stupidity, and I’m not sure about the universe. Albert Einstein

History is full of heroes and villains. But then there are the idiots. Idiots, Follies & Misadventures shows that human stupidity has always been our constant companion.

History tends to omit tales of human fallibility. We overlook the dubious and ridiculous contributions made by history’s tawdry parade of knuckleheads. But this book is a call to arms … knuckleheads assemble! And once assembled, prepare to be mocked. Just because history has mostly swept these idiots under the carpet does not make them by any means unsung heroes. These are rather ridiculous cautionary tales, to amuse and add some perspective to our current rash of stupidity. Tales such Why you shouldn’t soak your underpants in mercury. The booze cruise that plunged England into civil war. The Russian nuclear briefcase and pizzas. Flatulence jars and The Great Plague of London. The deadly green wallpaper that proved a problem for Britain's trendy middle-class.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Historical, Humor

378 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 5, 2023

Reviews

[Ieva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Līdz šim neko par Maikiju Robinsu neko nebiju dzirdējusi, bet grāmatas aprakts lika domāt, ka būs tieši manā gaumē. Paļauties tikai uz to ir 50/50 likme, jo apraksti mēdz būt ļoti garām, bet šoreiz man paveicās. Ja patīk pastāstiņu virkne iz cilvēces vēstures - sākot ar Seno Grieķiju un beidzot ar pāris desmitgades seniem notikumiem, nebūt ne hronoloģiskā secībā - un patīk par tiem pasmaidīt (ja tāpat kā man paveicas, ka skarīt humora izjūtas ar autoru ), tad šī noteikti ir īstā grāmata. Ja gribētos izglītoties un saprast cilvēki plašāk - nez vai. Te ir virkne interesantu faktu, kuru ir par daudz, lai iegaumētu un nez vai tas, ka zini, tevi padara erudītāku. Bet kāpēc gan neuzzināt par 19.gs. ASV populārajiem šoviem, kuros speciāli lika saskrieties vilcieniem; par Marka Tvenu neveiksmēm biznesa pasaulē; par Krisipa no Solas nelaimīgo likteni pēc tikšanās ar vīnu dzerošu ēzeli (burtiski) un daudz ko citu...

[J. M. Simmonds · Rating 3 out of 5]

A book full of hillarious stories and humourous little snippets. This book is actually very interesting and factual. Mikey Roberts, packs in a great amount of information in a easy to read book.

That being said, his politics appeared in all sorts of places...not something that actually needs to be even mentioned...the words weren't mentioned...but they were insinuated...not surprising when you find out that Robins works for Triple J in Australia in his author biography at the back..I will leave it to your capable research to figure out which side of the aisle he's on and you can decide if you agree or disagree.

[Xanthi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I listened to this on audiobook format. At first I was concerned that this would be a collection of historical tidbits that I’ve heard about before, and while some of the topics were already familiar to me, most weren’t.
I found the book so enjoyed that I didn’t want it to end. I hope there will be another book in the same vein. Mikey’s style of humour went well with the general tone of the book and I often found myself chucking away as I listened.

[Brett Thurbon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hilarious!!!! Great read

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly amusing

[Smitchy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Funny and informative this was an easy book to listen to as I did other things.