That's So Macaroni

Kelsey and Sarah

What happens when a history teacher with a World War II obsession teams up with a genetics nerd who works in a hospital lab? You get a show that treats untaught events, odd inventions, and overlooked people like a treasure hunt—with jokes, receipts, and plenty of curiosity. Chock full of twists and turns, Kelsey and Sarah bring history to life, with a little 'Mean Girl' energy. So put a feather in your cap doodle dandies - We're going to make "That's So Macaroni" happen!

  1. 3D AGO

    Episode 12: How A Teenage King Reshaped The Baltic World - Sweden: Part 2

    A teenage king. A pile-on alliance. A war that drags on for 21 years and quietly rewrites Europe. We’re breaking down the Great Northern War in a way that actually sticks, from the Anti-Swedish Coalition’s opening gambit to the final treaty that ends Sweden’s era as a Baltic Empire. If you like military history, European history, and the kind of storytelling that makes treaties and battles feel human, follow along with us. Subscribe, share this with your favorite history friend, and leave a review with your hottest take: was Sweden doomed after Poltava, or did it lose earlier?

    37 min

  2. MAY 4

    Episode 11: The King, The Cows, and the Scandinavian Joke - Sweden: Part 1

    We’re eating donuts, laughing at a viral clip about Charles XII, and then we fall into the rabbit hole: how a northern kingdom turns itself into a Baltic Sea superpower by stacking ports, treaties, and absolutely furious neighbors. We trace the early chaos through the Kalmar Union and Queen Margaret I’s not-so-behind-the-scenes rule, then jump to Gustav Vasa, the Stockholm Bloodbath, and the moment Sweden hardens into a more modern state with a standing army and a hereditary crown. From there, the map gets messy fast: Russia’s Time of Troubles, the Ingrian War, and treaty terms that make Sweden richer and everyone else louder. Yes, we also stop to translate rubles into cows, sturgeon, and fur coats, because early-modern economics is unhinged. If you like chaotic royal history, Baltic Sea politics, and the Great Northern War setup told with jokes and real stakes, hit play. Subscribe so you don’t miss part two, share this with a history-loving friend, and leave us a review with your hottest Sweden take.

    55 min

  3. APR 20

    Episode 10: Snakes On a Boat and Two Fugitive Generals - Punic Wars: Part 3

    Hannibal Barca’s life reads like a chain of impossible decisions: swear a childhood oath to hate Rome, ignite the Second Punic War, haul elephants across the Alps, and then gamble everything on a battlefield trap so effective it wipes out tens of thousands at Cannae. We walk through the story with all the messy details intact, including what Rome does when it refuses to take the bait, how Hannibal keeps his army alive by living off the land, and why one brilliant victory still isn’t enough if your own government won’t send reinforcements. Then we pivot to the man Rome builds into its answer: Publius Cornelius Scipio, later Scipio Africanus. Because Roman sources preserve more of his life, we get to trace how a patrician education, battlefield nerve, and raw political theater turn him into a commander with a plan bold enough to bring the war to North Africa. Along the way we dig into leadership style, morale, propaganda, and the surprisingly modern idea of winning allies by treating captured cities well instead of burning them. Subscribe for more deep-dive history, share this with a friend who loves ancient Rome and Carthage, and leave a review so more people can find the show. What part of Hannibal and Scipio’s rivalry stuck with you most?

    1h 5m

  4. APR 6

    Episode 9: Touring of Italy with Elephants - The Punic Wars: Part 2

    Elephants don’t belong in winter mountains, which is exactly why Hannibal puts them there. We’re Sarah and Kelsey, and we’re telling the Punic Wars through the lens of the boldest move of the Second Punic War: Hannibal dragging an army from Carthaginian Spain over the Alps and into Roman territory when Rome assumes its navy can keep him contained. Along the way, we set the stage with the Roman Republic versus Carthage, the messy aftermath of the First Punic War, and the mercenary revolt that reshapes power in the western Mediterranean.  If you’re searching for Punic War history; Hannibal crossing the Alps, the Battle of Cannae explained, or the destruction of Carthage, this story connects the famous moments to the brutal endpoint. Subscribe, share the show with your fellow history nerds, and leave a review so more people can find us. What’s your favorite “how did they think this was a good idea” moment from ancient history?

    48 min

  5. MAR 23

    Episode 8: Sacred Chickens Tried To Stop This War - The Punic Wars: Part 1

    Rome doesn’t want a war with a sea empire, Carthage doesn’t want a land power breathing down its trade routes, and a crew of unemployed mercenaries decides to light the match anyway. From Massena and Syracuse to brutal attrition on Sicily, we follow the First Punic War as it spirals into naval innovation, massive battles, war elephants, and storms that kill staggering numbers of people. And yes, we end with one of the best cautionary tales in military history: when sacred chickens give a clear order, you follow. If you like funny history with real stakes, subscribe, share this with a friend who loves ancient warfare, and leave us a review so more people can find the show. What’s the most unhinged decision in the story: the corvus boarding plank, the elephant comeback, or the chicken incident? Our Resources for the Episode!

    56 min

  6. MAR 9

    Episode 7: Pineapples, Dirty Politics, And One Very Bad “Lauren” - Queen of Hawaii: Part 2

    A queen stood between her people and a firing line—and chose to save lives. We follow Queen Liliuokalani’s courageous fight to restore Hawaiian sovereignty, from her bold constitutional push to the moment U.S.-backed business interests seized the throne. With sugar barons lobbying, Marines marching from the USS Boston, and a wavering cabinet, the crown slipped not by consent, but by coercion. Yet the story didn’t end there: Grover Cleveland’s inquiry condemned the coup, and the Kue Petitions rallied tens of thousands of Native Hawaiians against annexation. We chart how Sanford Dole’s oligarchy hardened, how Congress split the difference between principle and profit, and how wartime strategy tipped the scales toward annexation. Through it all, Liliuokalani’s voice carries: a monarch who signed abdication papers to free her supporters, composed Aloha Oe as a nation’s farewell, and spent her remaining years fighting for land and dignity. This is a story of lawfare and logistics, songs and signatures, power and principle—told with candor, context, and a few sharp laughs at the expense of sugar’s swagger. If this episode challenged what you learned in school, tap follow, share it with a friend, and leave a quick review telling us the moment that surprised you most. Your notes help more listeners find the real history of Hawaii. Resources:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iFJM-yTuP-Y97X24384CRHbdqomk-buG05fgHpvYzCg/edit?usp=sharing

    55 min

  7. FEB 23

    Episode 6: Hawaii’s Last Queen

    A queen holds the line while the ground shifts under her feet. We dive into the life of Queen Liliuokalani—Hawaii’s last sovereign—through the forces that shaped and ultimately shattered her reign: missionary families who became magnates, laws that hollowed out Native power, and the relentless pull of U.S. commercial and military ambition. If stories change how we remember, this one asks us to rethink everything we were taught about Hawaii—who held power, who took it, and what it cost. Listen, share with a friend who loves real history, and leave a review so more curious minds can find the show. Resources:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1iFJM-yTuP-Y97X24384CRHbdqomk-buG05fgHpvYzCg/edit?usp=sharing

    52 min

  8. FEB 9

    Episode 5: The Flags of Texas History - Six Flags: Part 2

    Texas history can feel like a roller coaster, but every drop and turn was engineered by choices. We track how a restless republic became a U.S. state that cut its own map to protect slavery, chased Santa Fe across decades, and doubled down on cotton while starving railroads, schools, and industry. The politics around the Missouri Compromise, Polk’s annexation push, and the “balance” of free and slave states weren’t background noise—they were the blueprint that shaped who counted, and who paid. We pull apart the myths around Confederate symbols and get specific about what the flag stood for: the right to own people and turn their bodies into political power. Texas’s Civil War story isn’t just Appomattox from afar. It’s cavalry culture, German Unionists dodging conscription, Tejanos caught between armies, and the audacious New Mexico campaign that fizzled at Glorieta Pass when Union troops burned Confederate supplies and flanked their way to a strategic win. On home soil, Texas lost and retook Galveston, sent tens of thousands east, and then refused to accept the war’s end until the following year. We land at Six Flags Over Texas, where themed lands once turned history into scenery. Confederate Land is gone now, but the question remains: what do flags above a gate conceal or reveal about the past beneath our feet? If you’re ready for a clear-eyed tour through annexation politics, slavery’s expansion, wartime audacity, and the innovations that followed, press play, then tell us which moment changed how you see Texas. Subscribe, share with a history-loving friend, and leave a review with the one fact you’ll be quoting all week. Resources:  https://docs.google.com/document/d/1bM-WVdk7G23llqbQo6nE8rHHwoG6rEX1_aUaD-7fkvw/edit?usp=sharing

    56 min
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About

What happens when a history teacher with a World War II obsession teams up with a genetics nerd who works in a hospital lab? You get a show that treats untaught events, odd inventions, and overlooked people like a treasure hunt—with jokes, receipts, and plenty of curiosity. Chock full of twists and turns, Kelsey and Sarah bring history to life, with a little 'Mean Girl' energy. So put a feather in your cap doodle dandies - We're going to make "That's So Macaroni" happen!

Information

  • Creator
    Kelsey and Sarah
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 That's So Macaroni
  • Show Website
    That's So Macaroni