Ask a Historian: 50 Surprising Answers to Things You Always Wanted to Know

by Greg Jenner

Why is Italy called Italy? How old is curry? Which people from history would best pull off a casino heist? Who was the richest person of all time? When was the first Monday? What were history's weirdest medical procedures that actually worked? How much horse manure was splattered on the streets of Tudor London? How fast was the medieval Chinese postal system? What did the Flintstones get right about the Stone Age? Who gets to name historical eras, and what will ours be called in 100 years' time? How do we know how people sounded in the past? How old is sign language?

In Ask a Historian the author, BBC podcaster, and public historian Greg Jenner provides answers to things you always wondered about, but didn't know who to ask. Responding to 50 genuine questions from the public, Greg whisks you off on an entertaining tour through the ages, revealing the best and most surprising stories, facts, and historical characters from the past. Bouncing through a wide range of subjects - from ancient jokebooks, African empires, and bizarre tales of medicinal cannibalism, to the invention of meringues, mirrors, and menstrual pads - Ask A Historian spans the Stone Age to the Swinging Sixties, and offers up a deliciously amusing and informative smorgasbord of historical curiosities, devoured one morsel at a time.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Audiobook, Historical, Humor, Science, Ebooks

332 pages, Hardcover

First published October 28, 2021

About the author

Greg Jenner (FRHistS) is a British public historian, broadcaster, and author noted for using comedy and pop culture in his writing and podcasting work. He holds an Honorary Doctorate and Fellowship from the University of York

As well as being the author of seven funny books, for adults and children, he is the creator and host of the chart-topping BBC comedy podcast 'YOU'RE DEAD TO ME', and spent 11 years working as the historical adviser on the multi-award-winning BBC comedy sketch show 'HORRIBLE HISTORIES' and its spin-off movie. He has also hosted numerous other radio, TV, and podcast series (see his website for more).

Greg began writing books for teens and adults, but has recently pivoted back to writing for children, most notably with his 'TOTALLY CHAOTIC HISTORY!' series which he co-writes with expert historians, and is illustrated by Rikin Parekh

GREG'S HISTORY BOOKS FOR ADULTS:
- Ask A Historian: 50 Surprising Answers To Things You Always Wanted To Know (2021)

- Dead Famous: An Unexpected History of Celebrity, From Bronze Age To Silver Screen (2020)

- A Million Years In A Day: A Curious History of Daily Life, From Stone Age To Phone Age (2015)

GREG'S CHILDREN'S BOOKS:
- You Are History: From the Alarm Clock to the Toilet, the Amazing History of the Things You Use Every Day', illustrated by Jenny Taylor

- Totally Chaotic History: Ancient Egypt Gets Unruly, co-written with Dr Campbell Price and illustrated by Rikin Parekh

- Totally Chaotic History: Roman Britain Gets Rowdy, co-written with Dr Emma Southon and illustrated by Rikin Parekh

- Totally Chaotic History: The Stone Age Runs Wild, co-written with Dr Brenna Hassett and illustrated by Rikin Parekh


Greg is an avid user of social media, and can be found on Bluesky, Instagram, Facebook and Threads - come have a chat!

Reviews

[Ruby Dixon]

Fluffy non-fiction about random things. Palate cleanser and I learned some stuff!

[kartik narayanan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Found it to be a ultra Western focused book with its answers with the usual stereotypical references to other cultures. Also, a lot of whitewashing and lip service to the horrors of colonialism and racism. There is some general condemnation of the above but the author choses not to get into specifics, which is very disappointing.

Overall, the book frustrated me with each and every answer that the author gave. Anything notable in history apparently derives from Greece or the UK or in extreme circumstances, Egypt.

[Chrissie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read full of interesting facts prompted by random questions posed. Greg narrates engagingly, and with humour. A bit of historical fun.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so delightful. Honestly, I would love a whole series(I’ve got my question ready for submission!). Each question has a fairly (sometimes immensely) complicated answer, and Jenner takes the time to try and cover as much of the nuances as possible. So much better than a Wikipedia search!

[Adoya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, funny, and interesting. What more could you ask for?

[Dana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Uživala!

[Dominique · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listening to this, I just kept thinking, over and over: why don’t I know anyone like Greg Jenner? He has a way of narrating, a way of writing, that is just so comforting and soothing and lovely and somehow, in his dulcet cheerful tones, there are no bad things in the world and all your troubles look witheringly small. You can absolutely see how he has a role of public historian, as well — he does such a good job of straddling the line between the academic on the one side and the grand masses on the other. A mix of conversational and intellectual writing style, this is book is eminently accessible and genuinely quite funny, too. I even found the questions about topics I really deeply have no interest in entertaining. And what I especially love is how each chapter / question posed by a member of the public swings from philosophical and serious (how do we know how accents changed in the past) to silly and light-hearted (why do Ancient Greek statues have small penises). Even though I scoffed at a lot of the questions, Greg uses them more as a launchpad into an area of thinking or historiography more than anything else — and consequently you end up learning about things you’d never have imagined — and a lot more than you ever thought there was to know about it, as well.

Hard recommend for the following: audiobook lovers, any kind of history lover, people who wonder idly about why English people love the Tudors so much; literally anyone having a bad day.

[Annie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Man muss wahrscheinlich Fan des Podcasts oder Blogs sein, um dieses Buch wirklich würdigen zu können. Mein Fall ist es nicht. Die Fragen an den Historiker finde ich uninteressant bzw. die Antwort darauf war mir bereits hinlänglich bekannt. Der Autor neigt außerdem zum Abschweifen vom Thema, um die uninteressante Frage nicht beantworten zu müssen. Nicht mein Fall.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

The concept of this book is that the public could ask questions they would never usually feel comfortable enough to ask - from the sublime to the ridiculous, from the serious to why we keep hamsters as pets - which Greg would then examine and explain throughout history. For one, the 50 questions asked were incredible (round of applause for the general public here). But, more impressively, Greg handles all of them with so much care and manages to make even difficult subjects humorous.

Most historians specify in a niche time period - not so here, the subjects range from the Stone Age to the digital age. Others are restricted geographically; while the western world does dominate, there are examples from across the world. And have I mentioned it’s funny? I was cackling for large portions of it - please read question 28, I was howling.

Recommended for everyone, from those who want to dip their toe into the past, to weary studiers of history, this book will bring joy to the subject, and everyone will find something to entertain them.

[Diana]

Too chatty. Humor didn't land, and I found the bum jokes annoying and outdated. Most of the questions were simply uninteresting, and I didn't care for many of them.

Boring book. I wished I could get my time back, but alas! Woe is me for even picking this book! Thank God, the torture is over.

[Madhulika Liddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ask a Historian saw its genesis in questions posed by members of the public to historian Greg Jenner on his podcast (You’re Dead to Me). Jenner picked out fifty of these questions, and grouped them into twelve categories. These, ranging from Fact or Fiction?, Health and Medicine, and Food to Fashion and Beauty, Language and Communication, etc, form the twelve chapters of this book. Each chapter is further divided into the (mostly) four or five questions that fall into that category, each followed by its respective answer in generally about a couple of thousand words.

The questions are wild, some not too uncommon (how did armour-clad knights go pee and poop?); some are much obscure (what is that golden stool depicted on the national flag of Ghana?) and plenty are totally whacky (which eleven people would Greg Jenner pick out of history to put together an Ocean’s Eleven-style heist team?)

I loved this book. There wasn’t a single question-and-answer that didn’t entertain and inform; and while I’d expected this to be mostly Britain-centric (given that the very first question, Did Anne Boleyn have three nipples? seems to indicate this), it actually was rather more far-ranging, including China, Africa, the Americas and more in several answers. And Jenner’s writing style is easy reading: witty and lots of fun.

While most of the book is devoted to unearthing factual answers to questions, there are some answers (mostly at the end of the book) that are rather more about the science and discipline of history, which I found thought-provoking and interesting in a different way than the rest of the book.

If you enjoy history, don’t miss this one.

(Somewhat longer and more detailed review here, at my blog: https://madhulikareads.wordpress.com/...)

[✵ Kas · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure Greg is a really fun person in real life but I was cringing so hard at every pun and personal anecdote he has squeezed into this book. If you literally have to apologise in your own book for your silly comments then you probably shouldn't be including them. Or at least, do them a bit less so you don't hate yourself so much.

Anyway other than that there were some interesting bits but it was a bit of a mess really. Maybe ok for 12 year olds.

[John Hodgson · Rating 3 out of 5]

It reads like the scripts of the podcasts. But the chatty tone which works so well as a broadcast grates as a book. Better heard than read

[Doroteea Sandor · Rating 4 out of 5]

super interesanta cartea dar mă enervează puțin personalitatea autorului 🫠

[Helen Harper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. Really interesting and informative as well as being very funny.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

some bits of interest, some less so. Probably would have preferred to listen to it as a conversational podcast.

[Swords & Spectres · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll start off by saying, due to it being pretty much the main reason for negative reviews of this book, that it isn't written like your average academical history book. It's done with a comedic style and does have foul language. That genuinely seems to be the only bone people have to pick with this book from the reviews I read, so felt it best to get that out at the top of the review as it's obviously not to everyone's taste.

In 'Ask A Historian' Greg Jenner answers fifty historical questions sent in by members of the public. And, as mentioned above, he does so in his own entertaining, yet informative way. Each question is given a good amount of air time and explained as much as Greg possibly can. Most tend go off on tangents relating to the topic, leaving the reader/listener with a more comprehensive knowledge than if he'd simply blandly answered the question.

I feel this book would be absolutely ideal for the kind of audience looking to dip their toes into the history pond for the first time without running away screaming. Unlike most historical texts that are incredibly heavy on the dry, yet incredibly important details, Greg's light-hearted way of delivering his answers might prove more beneficial to the type of person who might have a more casual approach to wanting to learn history.

There's a good range in this book due to the wide array of people that submitted questions. So, even if the first few questions aren't the flavour of history you enjoy most, you can sit back and rest assured that there is genuinely something for everyone inside.

I thoroughly enjoyed this and have already downloaded another audio book by Greg. In the world of academia it's uncommon to brand something as 'easy reading' or say that you don't have to pay massive amounts of attention to it to get the benefit. With this book, Greg certainly achieves that

[Claire Huston · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book by Greg Jenner I've read, and just as good.
If you're interested in history but have found other books too dry, this could be the one for you!

And, while you're there, make sure you check out the excellent BBC Podcast 'You're Dead to Me' which manages to make history funny and fascinating. Also gets extra points for covering many aspects of history not commonly covered at school (at least here in the UK).

[Balthazarinblue · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

If you like to keep a welcoming and curated guest bathroom, this would make an excellent addition. Not only can you read a question per session, give or take, many of the questions deal with poop! Human, horse, its role re: seed distribution... it's all thematically appropriate. Not all the questions (or answers) were interesting, but that's to be expected given the wide range of topics covered and it's easy enough to skip around.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked it up at one of his book tour events, so glad I did. Greg has such an excellent writing style, informative, accessible and funny. The questions are fantastic. A book truly for anyone.

[Bells · Rating 3 out of 5]

I hope some of this comes up in the pub quiz because otherwise I can't think of another use for this information lmao

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A romp through various periods of time, and subjects.
Light-hearted in tone, but seriously researched.

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

God I loved this as an audiobook! The narrator sounds like the most likable person on Earth. I want to send him a friend request.

[Matthew Lloyd · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started to read Ask A Historian with the idea that it could replace doomscrolling - that instead of mindlessly scrolling through social media when I had a break, I would read a little answer to an interesting historical question. This means that it is also the first book that I have mostly read on my phone. For this purpose, it is brilliant. I want more. I cut right down on my Twitter use, right as the site imploded.

The basis of the book is that Greg Jenner received hundreds of questions from the public, of which he chose 50 to answer with around 1,300-2,500 words. These are perfect bite-sized chunks, and most of the answers suit that length - it's not about writing a deep scholarly article on the subject, but giving the public an overview. Of the fifty questions, I'd say there are only two where the answer is unsatisfactory: the huge question about the modern boundaries of African nations, which Jenner admits is too big for the format; and the question about why we care so much about the Tudors, which I think focuses too much on why the Tudors were cool rather than the history of the English caring about the Tudors (I also mildly disagree with Jenner on historical inaccuracy in films, but not to the extent that I dislike his answer). But this is nit picking. Many of these answers are things I didn't know, or suspected, and found genuinely fascinating (the origins of different names for the same place in different languages is one example). That so many are focused on how we know what we know is also great, and something I really want to see in more public history. As Jenner argues in his answer to question 18, "history" is not really "the past", it is what historians do, and understanding that process is a big part of widening historical knowledge among the public.

In sum, a satisfying book that kept me away from indulging in one of the worst habits of the modern age. Now I need another one....

[Mirona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting and written in a very engaging way. It reminded me of Bill Bryson's At Home (which happens to be one of my favorite non-fiction books) in that it tells you a lot about some small or obscure thing in history, but written as though you're having a conversation with the writer instead of reading an essay. Both Greg Jenner and Bill Bryson not only have this down, they excel at it! Greg has chosen 50 questions that people have asked and went and answered them as best he could, while making it funny and engaging.

A few quotes which made me laugh out loud:

"Curry is now a British culinary obsession; in 2019 it was estimated that curry houses and takeaways were worth £5 billion to the UK economy, although at least a billion of that was me ordering too many garlic naans (it’s just so delicious!)."

"Also, I couldn’t be happier to be answering this because I adore meringues with the same salivatory enthusiasm puppies display towards slippers."

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. Lots of interesting stories from history told in an entertaining way. And I liked that each chapter was on something new. He definitely has his own biases, but he’s very upfront about it. It meant that if I only had a little bit of time, I wouldn’t forget what had been said before. It’s not a book that I could recommend to my grandmother 😆 Some of the language, or content is not PG. Overall, I found it to be an intelligent, accessible, and enjoyable book. I especially liked the audiobook because the author reads it.

[Beth]

If you, like me, simply wish you could gain all your worldly knowledge in the format of a Horrible Histories book, this is a great lil read! I now know why Greek statues have small penises and which parts of the Flinstones are historically accurate, which is frankly all I could want from a history book

[Ashlee Draper Galyean · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oof that took some work but I’m pretty sure I did it wrong. If I owned the book and could pick it up and read whatever bits at my leisure then I think it would be four, maybe five stars. But as it’s a library book, I slogged through the whole thing. All that said, I’ll probably buy it because I love Greg Jenner and then maybe I’ll increase the stars?

[Claire Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first audiobook. Picked because of the short chapters and because I listen to the author's podcast so knew he would be an entertaining narrator. Content was light so just a bit of a fun 'read' to see if I could get into an audiobook.

[Shawn Thrasher · Rating 4 out of 5]

While away your commute listening to Greg Jenner answer fifty questions such as how knights in armor used the bathroom. Several laugh out loud moment, and well worth it. Another book that likely makes a much better audio than actual book, narrated by Jenner himself.