Barely Historical

Barely Historical
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Barely Historical is a comedy podcast where two lifelong friends pick a year, dive in, and immediately regret it. Amanda and JoLynne drag the past through the mud, from Salem to the Spice Girls, covering pop culture, scandals, disasters, and all the weird moments that never made it into your textbook. It’s history told by people who probably shouldn’t be trusted with it, but at least you’ll laugh while you learn. Expect games, chaotic commentary, and stories that prove the past was just as unhinged as the present.

  1. Cleopatra | It's the Trojan Horse, but Horny

    May 15

    Cleopatra | It's the Trojan Horse, but Horny

    Hot take to start the show: every man who has ever lost his entire mind over a woman has blamed her for it. Two thousand years ago that energy started a civil war, ended with Julius Caesar getting stabbed 23 times on the Senate floor, and somehow left us remembering the smartest woman in the Mediterranean for her eyeliner and a snake. This week Amanda and JoLynne take on Cleopatra VII, the last Pharaoh of Egypt, fluent in nine languages, queen at 18, mother to Caesar's only biological son, and the most successfully slandered woman in human history. Spoiler: according to the actual ancient source, she wasn't even that hot. She just out-talked every Roman in the room and they could not handle it. In this episode: Fact or Follicle, a beauty quiz where we figure out which ancient Egyptian skincare routines were real and which Amanda made up in the shower (pubic wigs glued on with tree resin: tragically real)The Ptolemaic family tree, which is technically just a circleHow a 21-year-old got herself smuggled into Julius Caesar's bedroom rolled up in a rug, which is either the most badass entrance in history or the most theater kid behavior of all timeRed Flag or Roman Emperor, the dating game where Caligula keeps showing upMark Antony, the original man who moved too fast, abandoned his Roman wife, and started minting coins with his side piece on themOctavian, a sickly little accountant who invented the political smear campaign and somehow still has us repeating his lies in 2026Why the snake story is biologically insane and what probably actually killed her (girl had a poison garden energy)A real ancient cocktail called The Cleopatra, which involved dissolving a pearl in vinegar to flex on a man at dinnerAlso covered: lice horror stories, why Korean skincare is superior, Brendan Fraser appreciation, and the eternal question of whether sleeping in socks is a war crime. Follow us on TikTok, Instagram, and Patreon at @BarelyHistorical for bonus episodes and our worst takes. Share this one with the guy who calls his situationship his queen, the friend doing a six-month Cleopatra skincare routine with nothing to show for it, and anyone currently losing it over a man who is, objectively, mid. Let's ruin the past.

    1h 19m
  2. De Clare: Too Much Power, Too Few Cousins

    May 6

    De Clare: Too Much Power, Too Few Cousins

    This week, we’re diving into the chaotic world of the De Clare sisters, one of medieval England’s most powerful families. What starts as inheritance drama quickly turns into royal favoritism, political manipulation, tangled family trees, suspiciously close relationships, and enough rumors to make an entire kingdom uncomfortable. We talk about King Edward II, Hugh Despenser, Piers Gaveston, medieval marriage politics, power struggles, inheritance battles, and why keeping land and influence inside the same elite circles created absolute chaos. Along the way, we also discuss bizarre medieval behavior, weird historical jobs, and why history’s family trees sometimes look more like family wreaths. If you like messy royals, medieval history, scandal, dark humor, and uncomfortable historical rumors, this episode is for you. Credits Hosts: JoLynne & Amanda Produced by Barely Historical Contact: oops@barelyhistorical.com Let’s ruin the past.

    50 min
  3. Sid & Nancy | Punk Isn't Dead But These Two Sure Are

    Apr 29

    Sid & Nancy | Punk Isn't Dead But These Two Sure Are

    Patreon Bonus Episode. The year is 1978, and apparently the hottest relationship trend is mutual destruction. JoLynne and Amanda ruin history with the chaotic, toxic, and wildly overrated romance of SID VICIOUS and NANCY SPUNGEN. From the rise of punk in a collapsing England to the disaster that was the Sex Pistols’ U.S. tour, we follow two people who should have absolutely never been left unsupervised together. In this episode, we get into punk culture in 1970s England, why SID became famous despite barely being able to play bass, and how NANCY went from suburban Philadelphia to the center of the CBGB scene in New York. We talk heroin, hotel fights, bad decisions, worse men, and the murder at the Chelsea Hotel that turned their mess into legend. Spoiler: this was not a love story. It was codependency with better eyeliner. In this episode • How punk exploded out of economic collapse and pure spite • Why SID VICIOUS was more image than musician • NANCY SPUNGEN’s complicated life before New York • The Sex Pistols’ absolute trainwreck of a U.S. tour • Room 100 at the Chelsea Hotel and the murder that followed • Why history keeps trying to make terrible men romantic Credits Hosts: JoLynne & Amanda Produced by Barely Historical Contact: oops@barelyhistorical.com Let’s ruin the past.

    1h 20m
  4. Gilded Age Mansions: Wealth, Labor, & Dark Truths

    Apr 23

    Gilded Age Mansions: Wealth, Labor, & Dark Truths

    What were Gilded Age mansions really hiding? In this episode of Barely Historical, we dive into the outrageous world of America’s most extravagant homes—built during the late 1800s by names like the Vanderbilts, Astors, and Morgans. These weren’t just houses… they were statements. Massive, detailed, and honestly a little unhinged. But once you get past the marble staircases, gold leaf everything, and “casual” ballrooms… the story shifts. Because behind the luxury was something else entirely. We break down: What the Gilded Age actually was (and why it still feels relevant today)How these mansions were built with zero modern machineryThe insane level of craftsmanship that still doesn’t make senseThe hidden systems and labor that kept these homes runningReal scandals, including a public murder tied to this worldAnd why so many of these mansions didn’t survivePlus: A chaotic game of “Gilded Building or B******t”Smash or Pass: Billionaire EditionReal Gilded Age headlinesAnd quick facts that will make you question everything about wealth, then and nowThis episode starts as architecture… and ends somewhere much deeper. If you love:history, dark humor, weird facts, rich people doing too much, and stories that feel a little too familiar… you’re in the right place. Welcome to Barely Historical—the podcast where we take the past, look a little closer, and realize it’s never as simple as it appears. Follow us for more history that makes you stare at the ceiling afterward. Follow us: @barelyhistoricalpodcast on Instagram and TikTok Email: ⁠⁠oops@barelyhistoricalpod.com⁠⁠ Hosted by Amanda and JoLynne~60 minutes | Explicit | Released 04/23/2026 Let's ruin The Guilded Age

    51 min
  5. Boston's Great Molasses Flood of 1919 | Brown Paint, Horses, & Bed Rafts

    Apr 15

    Boston's Great Molasses Flood of 1919 | Brown Paint, Horses, & Bed Rafts

    The year is 1919. Boston is minding its business when a 50-foot tank full of molasses says, “absolutely not.” JoLynne and Amanda ruin history with a literal syrup tsunami, corporate negligence, and the moment breakfast turned into a crime scene. This is the Great Molasses Flood of 1919, and yes… it is exactly as insane as it sounds. In this episode, we cover a 30–40 foot wave of molasses moving at 35 mph, the engineering strategy of “paint it brown and pray,” a man who literally rafted through molasses on his bed (we respect it), why this somehow gets worse the more you think about it, and the world’s worst legal defense: “the anarchists did it.” Chapters 00:00 Cold open 02:30 Intro Game: Would You Rather – Sticky Situations 07:45 Paint It Brown and Pray 15:30 How Do You Die 22:00 Cracker Barrel Crime Scene 28:00 Wrap Games we played (because we’re professionals) Would You Rather: Sticky Situations — slow, warm, pancake death vs. fast, cold, salty death. Choose wisely. How Do You Die — are you nosy, petty, or protecting your laundry? Either way… the molasses is coming. The takeaway: sometimes history is kings and wars. Sometimes it’s a giant tank of breakfast exploding because no one wanted to spend money on safety. And somehow it’s both hilarious and horrifying. Follow us wherever you ruin history.

    33 min
  6. Ostara | Easter, Rabbits & the Truth About Spring

    Apr 3

    Ostara | Easter, Rabbits & the Truth About Spring

    Every spring, humans suddenly feel the urge to reset their lives. We clean our houses, change our routines, and convince ourselves we’re becoming better people overnight. But this isn’t random. It’s ancient. In this episode of Barely Historical, we dive into the real history behind Ostara, Easter, and spring traditions. From pagan fertility rituals and seasonal survival instincts to eggs, rabbits, and church rebranding, we unpack how modern spring celebrations came to be. We break down the origins of Easter symbols, the mystery of the goddess Ostara, and why cultures across history all celebrated the return of light in surprisingly similar ways. Along the way, we question everything, side-eye tradition, and admit that most of human history is just people coping. If you’ve ever wondered why spring feels like a fresh start or why we’re all suddenly cleaning our kitchens and buying pastel decor, this episode explains it.

    59 min
  7. NASA Trusted Her With Space But Not A Bathroom | Katherine Johnson & The Colored Computers Sign | 1950s Virginia"

    Mar 4

    NASA Trusted Her With Space But Not A Bathroom | Katherine Johnson & The Colored Computers Sign | 1950s Virginia"

    Imagine being so good at math that the federal government trusts you to calculate whether astronauts survive reentry into Earth’s atmosphere. Orbital mechanics. Launch windows. Trajectory equations. Reentry angles. The kind of math where one wrong decimal can kill someone. Now imagine being trusted with that level of responsibility while still being told you cannot use the same bathroom as your coworkers. That was the reality for Katherine Johnson, one of the most important mathematicians behind the American space program. In this episode of Barely Historical, Amanda and JoLynne dive into the story of the woman whose calculations helped send astronauts into orbit while she navigated segregation, sexism, and Cold War politics inside NASA. Born in 1918 in segregated West Virginia, Katherine Johnson showed extraordinary mathematical talent early in life. She enrolled in college at 15 and graduated at 18 with degrees in mathematics and French. But despite her brilliance, the career options available to a Black woman with a math degree in the 1930s were extremely limited. For years she worked as a teacher, even though she had the kind of mind that could calculate orbital trajectories. That changed in 1953 when she was hired by NACA, the government agency that would later become NASA. There, she joined a group of women mathematicians known as human computers. These women performed the complex calculations engineers needed for aerodynamics, flight testing, and eventually space travel using pencils, slide rules, and a terrifying level of competence. But the workplace was segregated. Black women mathematicians worked in a separate building called West Area Computing. They used different bathrooms, ate at separate cafeteria tables, and were rarely invited into engineering meetings about the work they were actually doing. Still, Katherine Johnson’s math was impossible to ignore. She began attending engineering briefings anyway. She corrected calculations. She asked questions others could not answer. Eventually she became the first woman in her division credited as co author on a research report. Then came one of the most famous moments in space history. In 1962 astronaut John Glenn was preparing to orbit Earth aboard Friendship 7. NASA had started relying on electronic IBM computers to calculate flight trajectories, but the technology was still new. Before launch Glenn made a request. “Get the girl to check the numbers.” He meant Katherine Johnson. If she said the numbers were correct, he would fly. She checked them by hand. They were right. Glenn orbited the Earth, the United States scored a major Cold War victory, and Katherine Johnson quietly went back to work. Over the next 33 years she contributed to the Mercury missions, Apollo trajectory calculations, and early space shuttle planning. While the country argued about segregation and who belonged in the room, she was calculating who would survive reentry. In this episode Amanda and JoLynne also talk about the segregated West Area Computing Unit at Langley Research Center, the women NASA called computers, and why Katherine Johnson forced her way into engineering meetings. There is also a game of NASA Slang or I Made It Up featuring terms like Go Fever, Max Q, Scrub, and Abort Mode. Follow Barely Historical wherever you listen to podcasts. Visit barelyhistorical.com for episodes, updates, and everything related to the show. Join the Patreon for bonus episodes and the darker version of the podcast at patreon.com/barelyhistorical. Leaving a review helps the algorithm and our fragile little egos. Share this episode with your friend who says they are just not a math person, the coworker who explains things you already calculated, or your uncle who thinks discrimination ended sometime around 1970. Or just send it to the smartest woman you know. Because chances are she has been carrying the room longer than anyone noticed.

    44 min
  8. St. Valentine’s Day Massacre | Fake Cops, Highball the Dog, Raccoon Bootlegger

    Feb 11

    St. Valentine’s Day Massacre | Fake Cops, Highball the Dog, Raccoon Bootlegger

    This Valentine’s Day, Barely Historical is skipping the roses and going straight to the gunfire. In this episode, Jo and Amanda dive into one of the most infamous crimes in American history: the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre of 1929, when Chicago’s Prohibition-era gang wars turned a holiday into a headline soaked in blood. While the rest of the world was exchanging chocolates, Al Capone’s criminal empire and the North Side Gang led by Bugs Moran were exchanging bullets inside a garage on North Clark Street. Fake police uniforms, Tommy guns, a near-miss target, and a dog who absolutely did not consent to being part of mob history… it’s got everything. We break down the chaos of 1920s Chicago organized crime, the brutal execution that shocked the nation, and the forensic science breakthrough that still couldn’t bring the case to court. Because nothing says romance like an unsolved massacre with holiday branding. If you’re here for dark history, terrible men, worst decisions, and Prohibition-era violence that feels way too theatrical, you’re in the right place. Plus: a game of Mobster or Mildly Unwell, raccoon bootlegging headlines, and the Barely Historical guarantee that this is not a cozy Valentine’s episode. Follow us for more history that makes you stare at the ceiling afterward. Follow us: @barelyhistoricalpodcast on Instagram and TikTokEmail: ⁠oops@barelyhistoricalpod.com⁠ Hosted by Amanda and JoLynne~60 minutes | Explicit | Released 02/11/2026 Let's ruin Valentine's Day!

    56 min
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About

Barely Historical is a comedy podcast where two lifelong friends pick a year, dive in, and immediately regret it. Amanda and JoLynne drag the past through the mud, from Salem to the Spice Girls, covering pop culture, scandals, disasters, and all the weird moments that never made it into your textbook. It’s history told by people who probably shouldn’t be trusted with it, but at least you’ll laugh while you learn. Expect games, chaotic commentary, and stories that prove the past was just as unhinged as the present.

Information

  • Creator
    Barely Historical
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Barely Historical
  • Show Website
    Barely Historical

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