Chernobyl | Babushkas, Buses, & Birch Trees

The year is 1986 and Pripyat is only hours away from becoming the most famous ghost town on Earth. In this Patreon preview, Jo and Amanda break down the real history of the Chernobyl disaster with the dark humor and chaotic storytelling that define Barely Historical. This is the shortened main feed cut. The full episode waits on our Patreon for listeners who want the complete deep dive.

In this episode, we cover the truth behind the Chernobyl explosion, the evacuation of Pripyat, the firefighters who walked directly into the nuclear core zone, and the families who lived through one of the worst disasters in modern history. We look at what the Soviet government hid, how radiation spread across Europe, and why Chernobyl still matters in science, politics, and pop culture today.

This preview includes:
• What the residents of Pripyat saw the morning after the explosion
• How the Chernobyl firefighters were exposed to deadly radiation
• The truth behind the evacuation and the Soviet cover up
• Real stories of the babushkas who refused to abandon their homes
• How a thriving Soviet city became a silent radioactive zone

For the full Chernobyl deep dive, join our Patreon.
Tier Two and Tier Three get every episode in our History But Make It Worse series, including the complete four part Chernobyl story.

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Hosts: JoLynne and Amanda
Barely Historical. A dark history podcast for people who ruin timelines.