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PODCAST

Smartest Year Ever

The Smartest Year Ever began as a 365-day experiment in curiosity. In 2025, I dropped a new fact every single day. History, science, language, word origins, and strange true stories, all the stuff that somehow makes you sound smarter in conversation. The goal hasn’t changed: help you become the world’s greatest conversationalist.

education

All Episodes

00:04:54

The World’s Oldest Tattoos and Ötzi the Iceman |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/04

Tattoos might seem like a modern trend, but the story of Ötzi the Iceman shows that humans have been marking their skin for thousands of years. Gordy explores the fascinating history of the world’s oldest tattoos—from soot-inked lines on a 5,000-year-old mummy in the Alps, to intricate animal designs preserved on Siberian warriors, to ritual tattoos found on Egyptian mummies.Why did ancient cultures tattoo their bodies? Were they for medicine, ritual, identity, or art? And how far back can we trace

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00:04:16

The Thatcher Illusion: Why Flipped Faces Fool Your...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/03

Why does your brain get completely fooled by a simple upside-down face? The Thatcher Effect—discovered in 1980 by psychologist Peter Thompson—remains one of psychology’s most famous illusions. It reveals how the fusiform face area in the brain processes upright faces differently from inverted ones, and why we sometimes miss the grotesque hiding in plain sight.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the history of the illusion, what it tells us about facial recognition, configural

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00:05:34

Why Are Most People Right-Handed? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/02

Why are 9 out of 10 people right-handed? Gordy digs into the science, history, and evolution of handedness—exploring why right-handed dominance has persisted for hundreds of thousands of years. From brain lateralization and language evolution to archaeological evidence in Neanderthal teeth, this episode reveals how our species developed a powerful bias toward the right hand.Along the way, Gordy uncovers how chimpanzees, gorillas, and other primates show similar preferences, how genes and culture

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00:06:11

Why Do We Say “Cloud Nine”? | Smartest Year Ever (Sep...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/01

Why do we say “on cloud nine”? Gordy dives into the fascinating history of this strange expression, tracing its journey from meteorology to slang dictionaries to jazz, radio, and pop culture. Along the way, you’ll hear about the International Cloud Atlas of 1896, the rise of “cloud seven” and “cloud eight” in early 20th-century slang, and how The Temptations’ hit “Cloud Nine” helped solidify the phrase in everyday language.This episode of Smartest Year Ever explores how a simple phrase became one of

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00:06:34

The First Ferris Wheel: America’s Answer to the...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/01

In 1889, the Eiffel Tower stunned the world at the Paris Exposition. Four years later, Chicago needed its own showstopper for the World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893. What emerged was one of the boldest engineering gambles of the century: the world’s first Ferris Wheel, designed by George Washington Gale Ferris Jr.Gordy takes you inside the battle of national pride between Paris and Chicago, the bizarre failed proposals that came before the wheel (including giant bungees and coast-to-coast

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00:04:23

What Does Percent Chance of Rain Actually Mean? |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/31

What does a “30% chance of rain” actually mean? Gordy breaks down one of the most misunderstood parts of weather forecasts: the percent chance of rain. Many people think it means rain will fall for 30% of the day, or that 30% of your city will get wet. But the truth is more surprising—and it all comes down to the meteorologist’s Probability of Precipitation (PoP) formula.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores how forecasters combine confidence and coverage to calculate those daily

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00:05:44

Does It Really Rain Fish in Honduras? (Lluvia de...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/30

Does it really rain fish in Honduras—or is something else going on? Every year, the city of Yoro, Honduras claims to experience the strange weather phenomenon called Lluvia de Peces (“Rain of Fish”). Locals celebrate it as a miracle, while scientists suggest waterspouts or underground rivers might be the explanation. But here’s the twist: despite endless articles and tourist hype, there’s surprisingly little real footage of fish actually falling from the sky.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever,

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00:05:41

Is Ball Lightning Real? | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 29,...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/29

Is Ball Lightning Real? For centuries, eyewitnesses have reported glowing spheres of electricity drifting through thunderstorms, gliding down church aisles, and even appearing inside airplanes. This rare and mysterious weather phenomenon—known as ball lightning—has baffled scientists and sparked debate over whether it’s real or just legend.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the strange and unsettling history of ball lightning sightings. From a fiery globe that tore through a

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00:05:28

The Coldest Day (and the Coldest Place) on Earth |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/28

What’s the coldest weather ever recorded on Earth? And where’s the coldest place people actually live year-round? Gordy breaks down the extremes—from frozen Antarctic research stations that feel like another planet, to a Siberian town where residents keep cars running all day so they don’t turn into ice sculptures.This episode explores:The coldest temperature ever recorded on EarthThe coldest average year-round locations on the planetThe coldest inhabited place where people still build lives in the

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00:06:57

The Hottest Day (and the Hottest Place) on Earth |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/27

What’s the hottest temperature ever recorded on Earth—and where can you actually find the hottest place on the planet? Gordy dives into the scorching details of Death Valley’s legendary heat waves and the otherworldly environment of Dallol, Ethiopia, uncovering how these extremes push the limits of human survival.From controversial 1913 Death Valley records, to modern 130°F readings, to Dallol’s acid pools and volcanic heat vents, this episode explores the places where Earth itself feels hostile

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00:04:59

The City That Went 14 Years Without Rain | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/26

What does it take for a city to go over a decade without rain? Gordy dives into the astonishing case of Arica, Chile, perched on the edge of the Atacama Desert, the driest place on Earth. From 1903 to 1918, Arica went 173 months without measurable rainfall—a world record. But that’s only part of the story.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores:The unique geography that makes the Atacama Desert so bone-dry.How the Andes Mountains, Humboldt Current, and subtropical high pressure systems

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00:06:49

What the Dew Point Really Tells You | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/25

What does the dew point actually tell you about comfort, weather, and even storm risk? In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy breaks down one of the most misunderstood numbers in your weather forecast. While most people glance at humidity, the dew point is the real comfort gauge—and meteorologists, pilots, and even storm chasers know why it matters so much.From crisp fall mornings to swampy summer nights, the dew point explains exactly why the air feels the way it does. Gordy explores how dew

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00:05:53

When Were Sunglasses Invented? | Smartest Year Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/24

Sunglasses weren’t always about fashion. Long before Ray-Bans and Hollywood icons, protective eyewear shaped survival, law, and even warfare. Gordy dives into the 2,000-year history of sunglasses—from Arctic snow goggles carved out of bone, to smoky quartz lenses in medieval Chinese courts, Venetian gondoliers shielding their eyes from glare, and the rise of aviator sunglasses in World War II.This episode explores how sunglasses evolved from ancient survival gear to modern style essentials—and why

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00:08:25

Is There a Square Mile on Earth No Human Has Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/23

Is there still a square mile on Earth where no human has ever set foot? Gordy explores untouched frontiers—from Antarctica’s buried mountain ranges to the dense Amazon jungle, Siberian taiga, Arctic islands, remote deserts, and uncharted caves.Modern maps make it feel like we’ve been everywhere, but the truth is far more mysterious. This episode dives into Antarctica’s Gamburtsev Subglacial Mountains, the Amazon Rainforest, Siberia’s endless taiga, and other extreme landscapes where human footprints

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00:06:24

What is the Oldest National Flag Still in Use? |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/22

What’s the world’s oldest national flag still in use? Flags are more than symbols—they’re identity, history, and storytelling in cloth. Some nations redesign their banners every few decades, while others carry designs that have lasted for centuries. But one country has held onto the same iconic flag since the Middle Ages.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy digs into the history of national flags, exploring legends of divine intervention, the fascinating roots of vexillology (the study of

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00:05:41

How to Identify Greek and Roman Columns | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/21

Why do museums, courthouses, and capitol buildings across the world look like they were built for ancient philosophers—or Zeus himself? Gordy unpacks the five classical column orders—Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, Tuscan, and Composite—and the surprising reasons they’re still everywhere today.From the austere Doric pillars of the Parthenon to the leaf-covered Corinthian capitals of the U.S. Supreme Court, these designs aren’t just architectural details—they’re symbols of power, education, wealth, and

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00:05:38

The Real Doctor Who Inspired Sherlock Holmes |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/20

Was Sherlock Holmes based on a real person?In this episode, Gordy uncovers the fascinating story of Dr. Joseph Bell, the sharp-eyed Scottish surgeon who may have inspired the world’s most famous fictional detective. From diagnosing patients before they spoke to consulting on real-life murder cases, Bell’s uncanny powers of observation and deduction helped shape the blueprint for modern forensic thinking—and became the model for Holmes himself.This story weaves together Victorian medicine, early

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00:03:21

Why Do We Say “Close, But No Cigar”? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/19

Where does the phrase “Close, but no cigar” really come from?Gordy investigates the surprising origin of one of the most enduring idioms in the English language. Today we use it as a light jab when someone almost succeeds—but not quite. But the real story behind it involves 19th-century carnival games, actual cigar giveaways, and a strange cultural shift in how we award success.If you've ever said the phrase but never questioned it, this one's going to change the way you hear it forever

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00:03:36

Why Do We Call It a Honeymoon? | Smartest Year Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/18

Why do we call it a honeymoon? Is it really about sweetness and romance… or something else entirely?In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy digs into the surprisingly dark origins of a word we now associate with tropical getaways and towel swans. From 16th-century English proverbs to Victorian bridal tours, and a myth about mead and fertility, this short, punchy history will change how you see the term forever.Along the way, we explore how language evolves—and how a term that once meant

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00:05:37

The 1518 Dancing Plague: Real, Deadly, Unexplained? |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/08/17

In the sweltering summer of 1518, a woman stepped into the streets of Strasbourg—and began to dance. Within days, dozens joined her. By the end of the month, it was hundreds. They danced without music. Without rest. Some even danced to death.In the final episode of Mystery Week, Gordy unpacks the chilling story of the Dancing Plague of 1518, one of the strangest historical outbreaks ever recorded. Was it mass hysteria? Ergot poisoning? Or something else entirely?Backed by medical records, city

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