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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

00:06:47

Can Your Brain Tell Time Without Sunlight? | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/27

In 1962, French speleologist Michel Siffre descended into total darkness with a radical plan: to live underground for two months with no clocks, no sunlight, and no contact with the outside world.His goal? To find out if the human brain can still track time without the day-night cycle we take for granted. What he discovered helped lay the foundation for circadian rhythm research—and changed what we know about how our bodies keep time.Over decades and multiple cave experiments, Siffre became a

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00:04:28

Why We Want to Squeeze Cute Things | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/26

Why do we get the bizarre urge to squeeze, pinch, or even say “I could eat you up!” when we see something adorable?In this Smartest Year Ever episode, Gordy explores the science behind cute aggression, a strange emotional reflex that kicks in when your brain short-circuits on cuteness overload. From baby animals to chubby cheeks, we’ll look at how our brains use opposite emotional outputs—like aggression in response to joy—to stay balanced.You'll also hear about:The psychology of dimorphous

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00:05:31

Why Does Déjà Vu Happen? | Smartest Year Ever (July...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/25

Have you ever walked into a room and sworn you’ve been there before—even though you know you haven’t? That sudden jolt of familiarity is called déjà vu, and for centuries, it’s puzzled everyone from philosophers to neuroscientists.In today’s episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores why déjà vu happens, how your memory systems glitch, and what modern neuroscience says about those strange moments that feel like reality on repeat. You’ll learn about false recognition, pattern saturation, and even

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00:06:54

The Brain Quirk That Lets You Taste Words and See...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/24

What if your brain didn’t keep your senses in their lanes?In today’s Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores synesthesia—a rare and fascinating neurological trait where one sense involuntarily triggers another. Some people hear colors, taste names, or see music. Others might feel a touch just by watching someone else being touched.But what’s really going on in the brain? Is it a disorder, a superpower, or something in between? And how might it tie into neurodivergence, ADHD, autism, and even

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00:05:06

Stendhal Syndrome: When Art Is Too Beautiful to...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/23

Can art be so beautiful it literally overwhelms your brain? In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the bizarre and fascinating world of Stendhal Syndrome—a mysterious condition where people experience dizziness, palpitations, even hallucinations in response to aesthetic overload. From the Renaissance masterpieces of Florence to the neuroscience of emotional regulation, this story blends psychology, art theory, and neurology into one unforgettable ride through the power of

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00:06:45

The Teen Who Stayed Awake for 11 Days | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/22

What’s the longest anyone has ever stayed awake—and what actually happens to your brain when you push the limits of sleep deprivation?In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the wild, real-life story of a 17-year-old student who broke the boundaries of human endurance in the name of science—and lived to tell the tale. From hallucinations and microsleeps to the strange truth behind why your brain literally cleans itself during deep sleep, this is one of the most fascinating stories in

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00:09:26

Do We Really Only Use 10 Percent of Our Brains? |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/21

Welcome to Brain Week on Smartest Year Ever—a 7-day exploration of the most mind-blowing facts about the human brain. In today’s episode, Gordy takes aim at one of the most enduring neuromyths in pop culture: the claim that we only use 10 percent of our brains.This idea shows up everywhere—from self-help gurus and pop psychology books to movies like Lucy and Limitless. But is there any truth to it? And where did this weird myth even come from?Along the way, Gordy unpacks the real story behind

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00:05:56

Why Do We Read from Left to Right? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/20

Why do we read from left to right? It seems natural—but it’s far from universal. Some languages go right to left. Others go top to bottom. And in ancient times, some scripts flipped directions each line, like an ox turning in a field.In this episode, Gordy investigates the surprising reasons why reading direction varies across cultures—and how it’s shaped not by our brains, but by our hands, tools, and history.From ancient Greek scribes to Roman copycats, and from stone chisels to ink-soaked reed

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00:07:55

Left or Right? Why Do Countries Drive on Different...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/19

Why do some countries drive on the left side of the road… while others drive on the right?It’s one of those strange things we never think about—but it’s not based on engineering, safety, or modern logic. It goes back to knights, horses, class warfare, revolutions, and colonialism—and a few extremely dramatic moments in history that permanently altered the way people move through the world.From ancient Roman chariots to the French Revolution, from Napoleon's conquests to a massive overnight

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00:08:02

The First Speed Limits (and the First Guy Busted) |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/18

Who was the first person ever busted for speeding? And how fast was he going? Gordy takes you back to the bizarre, steam-powered birth of traffic laws—when the speed limit was 2 miles per hour, and men waving red flags had to walk in front of cars.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, we explore the world’s first speed limits, the wild origin of automotive laws, and the truly unhinged way authorities handled “dangerous” new tech. From steam tractors to bicycle chases, you’ll get a wild ride

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00:06:42

Why Are Pencils Yellow? | Smartest Year Ever (July...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/17

Most people never question it—but why are pencils always yellow? Were they always that way? And who decided yellow was the right color?In this episode, Gordy digs deep into the surprising history behind one of the most familiar objects on your desk. From imperial China to the Austro-Hungarian Empire, you’ll learn how a color associated with royalty, luxury, and exoticism became the default shade of classroom supplies. This is a story of branding, graphite, and international mystique—not utility.So

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00:05:59

Why Do We Call Pirates “Buccaneers”? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/16

Why does “buccaneer” mean pirate? It wasn’t always about swords and sea raids. The word buccaneer has a much stranger backstory—one that starts with wild pigs, Indigenous cooking methods, and a crew of angry Frenchmen smoking meat in the Caribbean.In this episode, Gordy traces how a word that once meant “guy who slow-cooks feral pork on a wooden rack” drifted into naval warfare, state-sanctioned raiding, and eventually into the Golden Age of Piracy. Along the way, you’ll meet real historical

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00:05:57

These Eternal Flames Are Powered by Earth Itself |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/15

Some flames never die—and they don’t need a match to start.In today’s episode, Gordy investigates the wild phenomenon of natural eternal flames—fires that have been burning for decades or centuries, powered by nothing but Earth’s leaking gases. From a burning mountain in Azerbaijan to a flickering flame behind a New York waterfall, these natural wonders reveal the geological secrets right beneath our feet.Why do these flames keep going? What fuels them? And what can they tell us about our planet’s

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00:06:22

Paraceratherium: The Largest Land Mammal Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/14

What was the largest land mammal to ever walk the Earth? Gordy digs into the prehistoric past to uncover one of the most jaw-dropping megabeasts you've never heard of. Think rhino meets giraffe meets double-decker bus—but real. With fossil evidence stretching across Asia and competing contenders for the crown, this episode explores the true giants of the mammalian world, how they lived, and why they vanished.If you're into prehistoric animals, megafauna, paleontology, or just want a wild

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00:05:14

Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap to Some People? |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/13

Some people say cilantro tastes fresh and citrusy. Others say it tastes like dish soap. Why?In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores one of the most divisive herbs on earth—and what your DNA has to do with it. From the genetic receptor that triggers the soap effect to famous chefs who hate it, this story blends biology, culture, and evolution into a fresh take on a controversial leaf.Whether you’re team cilantro or team soap, you’ll never look at tacos—or your genome—the same way

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00:06:51

The Real Story of Chef Boyardee | Smartest Year Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/12

Was Chef Boyardee just a cartoon mascot on a can of ravioli? Think again. In this episode, Gordy dives into the incredible true story of the man behind the red label: a teenage immigrant prodigy who would go on to cater a presidential wedding, found a national food empire, and even aid the U.S. military during World War II.From Cleveland restaurant kitchens to wartime food factories, this episode of Smartest Year Ever uncovers how a real chef became one of the most iconic names in American grocery

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00:06:08

Why Are Salt and Pepper on Every Table? | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/11

Why are salt and pepper the table default around the world? In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the culinary history, chemical power, and colonial legacy behind the spice duo we never question. From Roman soldiers being paid in salt to French chefs turning black pepper into a fine dining staple, the answer to why these two spices became the global standard is more fascinating—and more political—than you think.This is Food Facts Week, where each day we unpack the strange,

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00:05:21

Did the Earl Really Invent the Sandwich? | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/10

There’s no food more iconic—or more deceptively simple—than the sandwich. But where did the name come from? And did one British aristocrat really invent it?On today’s episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy breaks down the surprising, global, and very old history of sandwiches—from gambling lords in 18th-century England to ancient religious traditions, medieval trenchers, and international street food.We trace the rise of the sandwich from John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich—a man too busy (or too

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00:05:16

Are French Fries Actually French? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/09

Why do we call them French fries?In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy digs into the surprising global history of one of the world’s most beloved foods. From Belgian peasants to French revolutionaries, from American soldiers to fast food giants, this story has it all: miscommunication, cultural pride, and deep-fried international drama.It’s Day 3 of Food Facts Week—and today’s episode might make you question everything you thought you knew about your favorite side dish.Come for the fries

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00:04:54

Who Really Invented the Potato Chip? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/07/08

Who really invented the potato chip?Was it an act of culinary genius—or just a frustrated chef slicing out of spite?In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy digs into the salty, crispy, and surprisingly murky origin of the potato chip. From a legendary restaurant in Saratoga Springs to industrial food innovation, it’s a story that combines spite-driven creativity, clever marketing, and one of the most important inventions in snack food history.Discover the myth, the truth, and the billion-dollar

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368 results

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