History’s Worst Paychecks – The jobs were awful, the pay was worse, and somehow, people still did them.
From plague doctors and gong farmers to human alarm clocks, we uncover the most disgusting, dangerous, and bizarre jobs in history. How much did they make? What were the risks? And would you survive doing it?
Subscribe now for a mix of history, humor, and jaw-dropping facts—because no matter how bad your job is, it could always be worse.
Think your job is bad? Imagine painting tiny watch dials with a glow-in-the-dark paint so toxic it makes your bones disintegrate—and being told it’s perfectly safe.
In this episode, we’re diving into one of the most horrifying workplace scandals in history: the Radium Girls. These young women spent their days carefully applying radioactive paint, unknowingly poisoning themselves with every brushstroke. Their bosses? They knew the risks—and let it happen anyway.
From gruesome medical horrors like radium jaw (yes, their faces literally fell apart) to the jaw-dropping corporate cover-up that followed, we’re uncovering the brutal truth behind the so-called “miracle element” that turned deadly. And when the women fought back? They changed labor laws forever.
Join us as we explore the eerie glow, the terrifying symptoms, and the workers who refused to go down without a fight. After this, your worst day at work will feel like a dream.
If you enjoy the show, follow and rate us five stars, and tell a friend—it’s the best way to support History’s Worst Paychecks and help us keep uncovering the most miserable jobs in history!
4 Mar 2025
Ancient Egypt: Royal Tomb Builders
Think your job is bad? Imagine spending your days carving tomb walls, hauling multi-ton blocks of limestone under the burning desert sun, and getting paid in nothing but bread and beer—all while knowing that if something went wrong, you might end up sealed inside the tomb forever.
In this episode, we’re heading to ancient Egypt to uncover the brutal realities of the Royal Tomb Builders—the laborers who constructed the pyramids, carved intricate hieroglyphs, and worked themselves to the bone to ensure the pharaoh had a smooth ride into the afterlife. From deadly workplace hazards and meager pay to the eerie tomb curses that still haunt history, we’ll explore what life was really like for the men who built Egypt’s greatest wonders.
Join us as we dig into the backbreaking work, the horrifying accidents, and the workers who dared to strike against their divine rulers. After this, your worst day at the office will feel like a breeze.
If you enjoy the show, follow and rate us five stars, and tell a friend—it’s the best way to support History’s Worst Paychecks and help us keep uncovering the most miserable jobs in history!
24 Feb 2025
Industrial Revolution: Chimney Sweep
Think your job is bad? Imagine being six years old and forced up a soot-filled chimney in Victorian London—with no clothes, no safety gear, and no guarantee you'll make it out alive.
In this episode, we're diving into one of history's cruelest professions: child chimney sweeps. From harrowing accidents and shocking exploitation to absurdly low pay, discover the heartbreaking realities behind the fireplaces of the rich.
Join us as we explore why this grim occupation existed, how society finally ended it, and the horrifying true stories that led to meaningful change. Trust us—your worst day at work will suddenly seem like a vacation.
If you enjoy the show, follow and rate us five stars, and tell a friend - it's the best way to support History's Worse Paychecks and ensure we can bring you more episodes!
17 Feb 2025
Medieval Europe: Leech Collector
Wading waist-deep into a filthy swamp, waiting for bloodthirsty parasites to latch onto your legs—just another day in the life of a medievalleech collector. In this episode ofHistory’s Worst Paychecks, we’re diving into one of the mostgruesome, thankless, and downright disgusting jobs in history.
Why did medieval doctors believe draining blood could cure everything from fevers to bad moods? How did leech collectors survive dailyblood loss, infections, and swamp-borne diseases for pennies? And what happened when the medical worldfinally realized that maybe—just maybe—removing pints of blood wasn’t the best cure for an illness?
Join us as we trudge through medieval medical disasters, black-market leech scandals, and some of themost horrifying real-life stories from the profession. And stay tuned until the end, because next episode, we’re taking things to new (soot-covered) heights withchild chimney sweeps of the Industrial Revolution—where getting stuck meant never coming back out.
History’s Worst Paychecks uncovers the mostgrueling, underpaid, and downright miserable jobs throughout history—because no matter how bad your job is, someone in the past had it worse.
If you enjoy the show,follow and rate us five stars, and tell a friend—it’s the best way to supportHistory’s Worst Paychecks!
11 Feb 2025
1960's America: Human Computer at NASA
Human Computers at NASA
Before digital computers ran the numbers that sent astronauts into space, NASA had a different kind of computer—women armed with pencils, paper, and sheer brilliance. In the high-stakes world of the 1960s Space Race, these human computers calculated rocket trajectories, re-entry angles, and life-or-death mission parameters, all while facing discrimination, relentless pressure, and paychecks that barely covered the cost of living.
John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth, famously refused to launch until Katherine Johnson double-checked the machine’s math—because he trusted her more than NASA’s early computers. But for all their groundbreaking work, these women were paid a fraction of their male counterparts, treated as disposable, and ultimately replaced by the very technology they helped pioneer.
How bad was it? What did they actually do? And why did history nearly forget them?
Join History’s Worst Paychecks as we dive into one of NASA’s most underappreciated jobs—where genius met inequality, and the future of spaceflight rested in the hands of those who never got the glory.
🎧 Listen now and don’t forget to leave us a 5-star review! If you love hidden history, check out other Pastcast Studios podcasts like Heistories (the world’s greatest heists), History Fight Club (legendary warriors facing off), and Hearthside History (fascinating tales you didn’t learn in school).
5 Feb 2025
Ancient Rome: Urine Collector (Fullones)
Welcome to History’s Worst Paychecks, the podcast that explores the dirtiest, deadliest, and most absurd jobs throughout history. In our debut episode, we’re heading to ancient Rome, where one of the empire’s most essential industries was powered by something truly unexpected—human urine.
Before fancy detergents, the Romans relied on a powerful natural cleaning agent: ammonia. And where did they get it? That’s right—pee. But someone had to collect it, bucket by bucket, straight from public latrines and chamber pots, and haul it through the city’s bustling streets. It was a job that stank in more ways than one—humiliating, disgusting, and, thanks to Emperor Vespasian, even taxed.
Join us as we uncover the grim reality of being a Roman urine collector—a profession so foul, so thankless, that even ancient society looked down on it. We’ll dive into the daily horrors of the job, the bizarre urine economy, and the shocking scandals (yes, scandals) that erupted around it. And we’ll answer the ultimate question: how did anyone survive doing this?
So, if you’ve ever had a bad day at work, just remember—at least no one’s making you collect pee for a living. Tune in now for the first episode of History’s Worst Paychecks!
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