"Jaunty music opens the recording before Australian narrator Rebecca Ho presents the widely varying historical curiosities, with subjects ranging from royals to festivals to apparel and much more."—Kirkus Reviews

An encyclopedia of mind-bogglingly random history facts that will lodge in your brain and refuse to leave.

The Big Book of Useless History Knowledge features music and special effects. Listen along and enjoy the fun!

Heard about King Henry II's polar bear that was allowed to swim in the River Thames? Or the Japanese soldier who refused to believe that WWII was over and continued to fight until the 1970s? Do you know which U. S. president was a champion wrestler before taking office?

In this compendium of obscure facts, listeners will be treated to baffling history knowledge they would never learn at school. Broken into chapters including royals and leaders, sports, and food, a team of experts has scoured the margins to find the silliest and most pointless history facts that the world has to offer.

Kids will meet characters like Wojtek the orphaned bear cub who was enlisted in the Polish army, discover which famous explorer used his own poop to help him escape during a blizzard, and learn why hot cross buns were believed to keep away evil spirits. They will also unearth completely useless information, including which U. S. city held a funeral for 30,000 pizzas.

(SPOILER: the information in this audiobook isn’t really useless. It will inspire, shock, and amuse the reader—and maybe spark an interest that will last a lifetime. It just won’t help you with any exams!)

A Macmillan Audio production from Neon Squid