***** I have received and read an advanced reader copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for giving my honest feedback. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.*****

Wow, just wow.

There's really not a lot to say here except that you will either love this book or hate it.

I love history, but even after reading hundreds of history books, I still learned a lot that I'd never heard of before.

Any history buff will absolutely adore this book.

And if you're a parent trying to get your kid interested in history, I'd definitely pick a few things from this book to share with your kid.

On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down

By: James Fell

Publish Date 10 October 2023

Publisher: Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine, Bantam

History

100 Book ReviewsProfessional Reader

I would like to thank both NetGalley and Random House for allowing me to read and review this book.

Good Reads Synopsis:

The hilarious, irreverent guide to world history you never knew you needed, featuring 366 profanity-filled tales of triumph and terror, science and stupidity, courage and cowardice

Those who cannot remember the past . . . need a history teacher who says “f*ck” a lot.

Nazis are bad. The worst kind of bad. There are no very fine people among them. If you disagree, you won’t like this book.

Still here? Cool. You are about to receive an education unlike any you’ve previously experienced. In this uproarious and informative tour from ancient times to the modern day and everything in between, James Fell, the self-proclaimed “sweary historian,” reveals a past replete with deeds both noble and despicable. Throughout the book, he provides insightful analysis of all the sh!t that went down. Behold!

• In 1927, actress Mae West was sent to jail for “corrupting the morals of youth” with her first Broadway play, titled Sex. She served the time and followed up with a play about homosexuality.
• In 1419, church reformers in Prague , vexed over their leader having been burned at the stake, defenestrated city leaders from a high window . They died, because those kinds of Czechs don’t bounce.
• If you were in the province of Shaanxi in China on January 23, 1556, then it sucked to be you. It wasn’t the biggest earthquake ever, but it was the deadliest day in history .
• In 362 B.C.E., a battle between Greek city states debilitated both sides, making the region ripe for conquering by Phillip of Macedon—aka Alex the Great’s dad—and spelling the end of Greek democracy .
• In 1343, the husband of noblewoman Jeanne de Clisson was unjustly executed by the king of France. Furious, Jeanne became a pirate , selling all her possessions to fund a fleet and exact revenge.
• During World War II, three Dutch teens used their beauty to lure Nazis into the forest with the promise of a good time, then out came the guns and BLAM! They sent them off to Nazi hell.

If reading history doesn’t make you want to swear like a mom with a red-wine hangover walking barefoot through a LEGO-filled living room, then you’re not reading the right history. Across the ages, over 100 billion humans have lived and died. Some were motivated by greed, others by generosity. Many dedicated themselves to the art of killing, while others were focused on curing. There have been grave mistakes, and moments of greatness. And that is why . . . sh!t happens. Every day.

Book Review:

This book was great. I gave it 4 stars. he is very heavy on the curse words, but you know that going into the book because of the title of the book. He does have his opinion on some issues that don’t match up with mine and you will find the same thing when you read this book. Not only does he have recent dates, but he goes way back in time. I love his intake on some of the subjects and cringed on others. I learned about somethings I never heard of before. You do need to careful because he is very anti nazi and Trump and isn’t afraid to let you know about. There is a story for every day of the year including the 29th of February. Like I said I really enjoyed the book and especially the history that I never heard of before.

This is a fun, interesting daily read. The snippets of history are fascinating and I look forward to each day’s discovery.

However, if I missed a couple of days and tried to catch up by reading more than one day at a time, it became really annoying. I understand Fell is trying to reach a younger, broader audience in a light engaging way, but I think he may underestimate his readers. Profanity doesn’t bother me at all. Streams of it distract from the telling of the story.

One day at a time 5 stars.
A week at a time 1 star.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for an eARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down is a direct, often hilarious, always honest, day-by-day collection of historical commentary collected by James Fell. Released 10th Oct 2023 by Penguin Random House on their Ballantine imprint, it's 432 pages and is available in paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links throughout.

The author has a vast (well deserved) following of folks who tune in to his blog and social media posts to get the low-down on history, political commentary, and wryly accurate sarcasm on human nature and the almost mind-boggling stuff they get up to regularly.

He swears a lot, admittedly appropriately, but undeniably often and creatively. The historical tidbits cover quite a long period of time, there were historical events from a few centuries B.C.E. right up to the present day (relatively speaking).

It's a no-holds-barred bare knuckles historical fracas, and it's really genuinely funny.

Five stars for making history funny (even some of the really tragic bits). It would be an exceptional choice for public library acquisition. It would also make an excellent choice for school library acquisition, except that in the current puritanical climate in the USA, it's likely already banned and the subject of a crapload of challenges. It's not even a little bit "fine people on both sides". On the first page, he states for the record that Nazis are bad. The rest of the book carries on in a similar vein. This would also make a fine choice for personal reading or gifting to history interested/nerdy friends.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

I predict that this book will violently upset about 1/3 of U.S. voters who will try to ban and burn this book while simultaneously claiming to value free speech.... Which will likely cause this worthy book to be heralded as a best seller by the rational folks who actually read.

James Fell gave the world a wonderful present when he wrote "On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down". This book provides a year's worth of daily entries that describe some insightful tidbits from history that happened on that day of the year. Each entry typically has an underlying ethical message, and is delightfully, entertainingly, humorously, and viciously critical of people who are less than decent to their fellow humans.

It may take a bit to get used to James's massively laid back profanity and slang loaded writing style. Yet it perfectly highlights the many horrific historical anecdotes and is both memorable and entertaining.

I am most appreciative that Random House Publishing Group and the author kindly provided a temporary electronic review copy of this wonderful work. I like this book so much that I pre-ordered a copy so that I can share with friends and family. (Update! The book just arrived! I really like the layout of the actual book!)

Obviously there is an audience for this book, it just isn't me. I don't mind swearing at all, but here it becomes redundant and after awhile I wanted more word choice. The daily format doesn't make for a sit-down and read experience, though I can imagine doing a page a day to be more satisfying. The main problem is that the events are so random: the Obama election one day, a tortured elephant the next. What's the point?

Hilarious snippets of history you can enjoy while on the toilet! Or I guess anywhere. But while shitting would be ideal. Simply leave this highly entertaining book in the crapper and educate yourself each morning with a bonus chuckle! I guarantee you’ll learn something new almost every day and you’ll always start your day with a smile!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for my free copy. These opinions are my own.

10-10-1913 President Wilson blew up the Gamboa Dike to flow water into the Panama Canal.

4-17-2020 James Fell starts posting irreverent historical facts on Facebook. Unrelated, it is also my 27th wedding anniversary.

10-10-2023 This daily calendar of weird historical sh!t is published so you can spend 2-3 minutes every day learning something cool about history. As a fan of Things you Missed in History Class, this book is right up my alley!

The entries are heavy on slang, swearing, and sarcasm. They are also focused on events certain states and school districts don't want their students knowing anything about. The downside is that sometimes the actual details of the event get lost in the humor. But, hopefully there is enough that if you find a day interesting, you will go find out more information somewhere else. I'd suggest this book for anyone who likes history, is a nerd who wants to have something nerdy to say to friends and coworkers each day, or anyone looking to learn a little about the world.

Thank you to Random House Ballantine & NetGalley for an advanced copy.

This book was hard to process. I could only read a few pages a day. The incessant swearing, Trump and US hating was starting to grate on my nerves. This should have probably stayed a Facebook post per day type column, instead of being bound into a book with seemingly little editing. The author was entering made up curse words like a 17 year old would just for the laughs, I suppose.

Too bad the vulgarity and anti-Trump sentiments took over the book. There was a lot of interesting historical dates written about. I just couldn’t get past a few pages per day.

On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down. In fact, on every day in history something happened, though a lot of it was pretty boring. Once you look up everyone’s birthday, I don’t see the value of this book. The entries don’t link together into some overarching story. You can get the same “just the facts ma’am” information from Wikipedia. It might be useful in libraries, I guess. But for general readers, it gets 2 stars.

Thanks to Bantam and NetGalley for a digital review copy of the book.

I both truly enjoyed reading this book.....and also struggled to get through it.

I absolutely love the author's voice and the irreverent tone. There were many chapters that stuck out to me that I bookmarked and thought were especially fascinating. I loved that it was lot of little blurbs that gave you snap shots of history..... but I couldn't help but think that it made it a little weird as a book. Since there's no storyline or unifying theme (other than irreverence, i guess) you could put it down at any time, and there's only so many unrelated tidbits I can manage at one time. I enjoy the author and the info, but I definitely think this is more podcast than print.

You'll like this book if you enjoy history, especially if it's told irreverently. Author James Fell does a great job of bringing little-known historical facts to light and fleshing out more well-known references. This is a breezy, conversationally written book with some speculation as well as facts that, fair warning, contains salty language with many f-bombs.

There are entries for each day with historical factoids spanning from B.C.E. to current times; it is both enlightening and informative. After reading this book, I'm rethinking my love of Coca-Cola (January 29), what happened to Sacagawea (April 9), and whether Mother Teresa is as sainted as she is portrayed (October 7). There are some heart-warming entries and entries that will ruffle your feathers but no matter your take, they are all informative.

I read this book beginning with the January 1 entry and continuing sequentially to December 31. You can jump around however with no loss of continuity, but you risk missing some good entries. Again the warning: if you don't like swearing or if you believe what Fox News tells you, I recommend giving this book a pass.

Thank you, NetGalley and Bantam for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. The publication date is October 10, 2023.

If the tv show Drunk History was a daily history book, it would be this.
This book will have you laughing out loud! I'm a history teacher and I could see myself using excerpts of this book in my class, however, I might have to edit out the profanity. But for my reading enjoyment, it was perfect. I'll be buying copies for all my history teacher friend.

Thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and author for a complimentary copy of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I don't know who James Fell is, but apparently he achieved some sort of social media status during the early days of Covid-19 with his daily history posts. This book is an updated publication of those posts.

I felt this book would have been a lot better if it had been released as a page-a-day calendar, because that's literally what you get. Day-by-day tidbits of history, usually something horrendous, sprinkled with obscenities and a liberal slant. Sometimes I thought the humor was misplaced, like when discussing an earthquake that was the deadliest day in the history of the world, but that's the deal with satire. You either like it or you don't. I liked the book a lot but didn't love the format. Didn't read every entry, as the book does not lend itself to reading it all the way through like a novel or traditional history book.

3.5 Stars

On This Day in History Sh!t Went Down is a interesting compilation of a snarky and pointed way of incorporating tidbits from history into a daily routine. Fell has a great voice, and while some of the commentary that circles around the current historical aspects will be dated very quickly, there is still room for those moments to be captured from that contemporary angle. However, I'm just not sold that type of compilation, this gathering of tidbits, is best suited in this format. As many other reviewers have indicated, this is very much of its type and feels every bit the page-a-day calendar in which the delivery first found its footing. As interesting as the information is within, there is very little understanding that someone will sit down with this book, curl up on the couch, and dive in like a novel or even narrative nonfiction. So why isn't this printed as a large format book, something like a coffee table book? This needs large pictures, large pages, and a clear delineation of the expectations that this won't be read in a sitting, but rather spread out over the course of months to a full year. That being said, I definitely feel the pull and draw of this one and have already signed up for the daily newsletter as Fell's work continues.

Back in the dark ages, I took History 101 as a required course in my college major. The elderly professor, bless his pea-pickin' heart, did nothing except read from the textbook during every. Single. Class. I hated it so much that when the class was over, I ran to the registrar's office and changed my major (yes, really!) to one that didn't require another history class. What struck me most as I got into this book, then, was if this author had been my history professor, well, chances are I would have spent quite a few years teaching typing and shorthand to high school students instead of working as a university administrator.

And oh, it's not just the history part - even though the events, organized by month, are interesting, well laid out and more than occasionally chuckle-eliciting. Rather, it was the fun of learning from someone who proclaims that "those who cannot remember the past need a history teacher who says f*uck a lot." Truth be told, I was hoping to learn some new words here, but that ended up being only one (no, I'll never tell). Besides that, his promise of "no shortage" of hate for a certain orange-haired former U.S. president was nothing short of endearing to me. A word of advice: if either of these revelations bothers you, don't even bother opening this book.

It is, alas, nearly impossible to write a review of this book without spoilers; so the best I can do is offer a few insights and examples of what's between the pages. As I mentioned earlier, specific events in history are highlighted by month - some of which are quirky things you (and definitely I) somehow missed in formal history classes. Others add finishing touches that, arguably, should have been included in what we did learn; others just illuminate the importance of those we did.

I learned, for instance, how the term "gerrymander" came to be (hint: it was named after a real person). That Gutenberg wasn't the first to invent the printing press. That Grace Hopper, close to age 80, was the oldest active-duty commissioned officer in the U.S. Navy of either gender. That Jack Ruby was, technically, innocent of killing Lee Harvey Oswald. Intrigued? You should be. If you want to know more, go read the book. Meantime, I thank the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to indulge in exchange for an honest review.

I knew nothing about the inspiration behind this book when I decided to pick it up, but I am so glad I did.

A hilarious look at historical events, On This Day covers a wide variety of tales from the past that you might not have known. Fell's in-your-face narrative style had me laughing out loud from the first page. I found myself looking forward to the next day and sharing tidbits with my friends.

A must-have for any history lover or anyone who likes their facts with a dose of sarcasm and a large heaping of curse words, On This Day was one of my favorites of the year.

Big thanks to Ballantine and NetGalley for providing an eARC in exchange for honest review consideration.

While the book presents an interesting concept, it's not for everyone. Random, somewhat obscure moments in history are examined.

The author is not neutral in his opinions. Additionally, the language used is not to everyone's taste. A young adult version would likely appeal but a lot of changes would be required before such an edition could be released.

Best in hard copy- which will make it easier to leaf through- this is very much like those factoid a day calendars. Fell takes a sarcastic and sardonic approach to history, picking one event per day to highlight. While he zooms across nationals and centuries, there are some issues that appear more than others (Nazis) but given the format, you can skip what doesn't interest you. Thanks to netgalley for the ARC,

"On This Day In History, Sh!t Went Down" by James Fell is a journey through history that offers readers a fresh and humorous perspective on the past. In this non-fiction book, Fell takes us on a fun ride through historical events, offering up bizarre, humorous, and often absurd recaps of various historical eras.

Fell's writing style makes history much more easily accessible to readers of all backgrounds. The book is structured as a daily calendar, with each page featuring an event in history that occurred on that specific day. This style makes it easy to pick up and read at any time, without feeling a need to finish it all in one sitting or within a few days. I learned a lot of new information that I was not aware of as I read through the dates, which I appreciated as a big fan of history.

One of the book's strengths is making history entertaining. The author doesn't just retell the same old well-known stories, but instead highlights the bizarre, the scandalous, and the downright weird moments that often get overlooked in traditional history books. Eccentric historical figures, strange customs, and peculiar events are told throughout. 

I appreciate the sarcasm and language that Fell used in his retellings, but do think that this style will be off-putting for some readers. I love history, and "On This Day In History, Sh!t Went Down" excels in humor and entertainment, but I do think it's important to note that this book isn't meant to be a comprehensive history textbook. It's a lighthearted romp through the past, and some readers may find themselves craving more in-depth historical analysis at times.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine,  Bantam for an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.