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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

00:05:47

Drake Passage: Why It’s Earth’s Deadliest Waters...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/28

The Drake Passage is one of the most notorious stretches of ocean on Earth — a 600-mile-wide maritime gauntlet between Cape Horn and the Antarctic Peninsula, where rogue waves, cyclonic winds, and the full force of the Antarctic Circumpolar Current converge.Gordy explores why sailors, scientists, and adventurers have feared and respected this extreme environment for centuries. From its critical role in global ocean circulation to the legendary 1916 crossing by Ernest Shackleton, this episode dives

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00:06:19

5 Common Phrases You Didn’t Know Came from Sailors |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/27

Did everyday slang come from ship decks and cannon fire? Turns out, phrases like “under the weather”, “turn a blind eye”, and “scuttlebutt” aren’t just colorful language—they’re the echo of real nautical life.In this episode, Gordy uncovers the surprising maritime origins behind 5 popular English idioms. From the British Royal Navy to sailing ships in the Age of Exploration, these expressions tell stories of survival, rebellion, and rigging. If you love etymology, language trivia, or hidden history,

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00:06:56

Typhoid Mary: The Woman Who Infected Dozens and Never...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/26

Mary Mallon was just a cook. But history remembers her as Typhoid Mary — the woman who unknowingly spread a deadly disease to dozens without ever showing symptoms.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy uncovers the true story behind one of public health’s most infamous cases. It’s a tale of germs, denial, quarantine, and one very stubborn scoop of peach ice cream. But beneath the headlines lies a deeper story — one that questions how we treat disease carriers, what rights we give up in the

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00:05:17

Why Do We Say “Bless You”? (The Weird History of...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/25

Why do people say “bless you” when someone sneezes—but not when they cough, hiccup, or burp? In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the origins of this curious cultural reflex, which blends superstition, religion, health, and linguistic tradition. From medieval plague outbreaks to modern etiquette, the sneeze has had a strange journey through human history.Gordy breaks down some of the most widely believed theories, including a 6th-century papal blessing during a deadly illness,

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00:07:07

Why Do Survivors See Phantom Companions? The Third...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/24

In life-or-death situations, some people report the same eerie sensation: someone else is with them. But when they look around... no one’s there.From Antarctic explorers to 9/11 survivors, these stories defy explanation — and reveal something astonishing about the human brain under extreme stress.Join Gordy in this gripping episode of Smartest Year Ever as he dives into the science and mystery behind the Third Man Factor — the phenomenon where a phantom companion appears to guide people through

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00:08:16

How Emojis Took Over the World (and the One Everyone...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/23

Where did emojis come from—and which one did the entire world forget?Today on Smartest Year Ever, Gordy breaks down the unexpected origin story of emojis, starting with a pixelated red heart in 1999 Tokyo. It’s the story of how Shigetaka Kurita and NTT Docomo created the world’s first emoji set, why they were only 12x12 pixels, and how Apple secretly introduced an emoji keyboard to the world years later.Plus: how the Unicode Consortium helped emojis go global, why the most popular emoji ever was

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00:09:08

Could Ancient Greeks Really Not See the Color Blue? |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/22

What if one of the most iconic civilizations in history… didn’t see the sky the same way we do?In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into a mind-bending debate that blends linguistics, psychology, and perception: Did the Ancient Greeks actually lack a word for blue—and if so, what does that mean for how they saw the world?From Homer’s “wine-dark sea” to the blurred line between language and thought, this episode unpacks a misunderstood internet claim and reveals what the science

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00:04:51

Is Cloning Your Pet Worth $50,000? (Barbra Streisand...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/21

Would you pay $50,000 to see your pet again? Barbra Streisand did—twice. After her beloved dog Sammie passed away, she cloned her, resulting in two new dogs with the same DNA but different personalities.Cloning pets isn’t just sci-fi—it’s high-end biotech. Companies like ViaGen Pets will take tissue samples, extract DNA, and implant it into a surrogate, creating an identical twin born years later. But does cloning really give you the same pet, or just a similar-looking animal with a totally

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00:06:30

What Are the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World? (And...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/20

Ever wondered what the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World really were—and how many still exist today? 🤔 In today’s episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy takes you on a fascinating journey through the original "Top 7 List" of history, revealing stories behind these legendary monuments. From the towering Great Pyramid of Giza to the mysterious Hanging Gardens of Babylon, we explore the jaw-dropping wonders that made ancient travelers’ hearts race.Plus, find out which of these wonders has

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00:05:05

How Was the Camera Actually Invented? (The First...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/19

Before we had smartphones in our pockets or digital cameras around our necks, the concept of a camera was something entirely different—and it wasn’t even a device. It all started with a dark room, a tiny hole, and a mind-bending discovery. How did this simple setup eventually lead to photography as we know it?In this episode, Gordy uncovers the bizarre journey from the camera obscura—a room-sized “camera” used by ancient philosophers—to the very first photograph ever taken. You’ll also hear about

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00:04:25

Why Do We Forget Our Dreams? Brain Science & Memory...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/18

Why do we forget our dreams so fast? One moment, you’re in a vivid, surreal world—and the next, it’s like the memory was wiped clean. In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy breaks down the surprising brain science behind why dreams seem to disappear instantly upon waking.Explore how your brain might actually be deleting your dreams, why REM sleep is a memory black hole, and the role of neurotransmitters like norepinephrine in preventing dream recall. Plus, find out why some scientists believe

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00:05:32

Food Idioms Part 2: Why Do We Say These? | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/17

Ever wondered why we say phrases like "baker's dozen" or "spill the beans"? In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy takes you on a quirky journey through the surprising origins of five more food-related idioms. Some are well-documented, while others are shrouded in mystery—can you guess which ones are which?This episode is a follow-up to the popular Food Idioms Part 1, thanks to all your comments and suggestions! Get ready to dive into the weird and wonderful history

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00:06:15

When Does English Stop Making Sense? (Time Travel...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/16

Ever wondered how far back you could time travel and still speak English? 🕰️ From Shakespeare and the King James Bible to Geoffrey Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales and the epic Beowulf, English has been through some wild transformations over the centuries.In this episode, Gordy breaks down when English stops being recognizable. Discover how Modern English (1500–Present) evolved from Middle English (1100–1500) and Old English (450–1100), a version so unrecognizable it sounds like a Viking war cry.Why did

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00:04:24

The Secret Airline That Flies Into Area 51: What Are...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/15

Imagine an airline with no website, no public schedule, and a fleet of unmarked planes. It sounds like a conspiracy theory, but it’s real—and it flies straight into Area 51.In today’s episode, Gordy dives into the shadowy world of Janet Airlines, a top-secret U.S. government airline that officially doesn’t exist. From its eerie red-striped jets to its unlisted destinations, Janet is the airline that takes military personnel and defense contractors into the heart of America’s most classified

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00:05:45

Does Alcohol Hydrate or Dehydrate? The Surprising ABV...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/14

Ever wondered at what point alcohol goes from hydrating to dehydrating? 🍺 It turns out there’s an ABV tipping point where drinks stop being your friend and start drying you out. Gordy dives into the science behind beer, wine, spirits, and how alcohol affects hydration.We’ll look at why sailors once drank low-alcohol “small beer” to stay hydrated, why modern drinks don’t do the trick, and how your cold post-run beer might be doing more harm than good. Plus, find out the exact ABV where hydration

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00:06:23

How Many People Have Ever Lived? (And How Close We...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/13

How many people have ever lived on Earth? The answer is way more than you’d think — and it’s a wild story of near-extinction, population explosions, and ancient survivors.We’re diving deep into the math behind the estimated number of humans who have ever walked the planet. From the earliest Homo sapiens 200,000 years ago to the 8 billion alive today, it’s a timeline packed with shocking bottlenecks and explosive growth.Ever heard of the Toba eruption? Around 70,000 years ago, a supervolcano nearly

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00:06:18

Why Are Shoe Sizes So Confusing? (The Bizarre History...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/12

Ever wonder why your shoe size is a 10 in one country and a 42 in another? Or why different brands seem to fit differently even when labeled the same size? Gordy breaks down the bizarre history of shoe sizing, from medieval barleycorn measurements to modern inconsistencies. Discover why the Brannock Device—invented nearly a century ago—remains the gold standard, and why even that doesn’t guarantee a perfect fit.In this episode, we dive into:The medieval origins of shoe sizing.Why US, UK, EU, and

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00:06:02

Chimpanzee vs Human: Who Throws Harder? | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/11

Throwing isn’t just a skill—it’s a human superpower. But what happens when we put our pitching abilities up against some of the strongest animals on Earth? In today’s episode, Gordy digs into the surprising science behind animal throwing speed, from gorillas hurling sticks to chimpanzees planning sneak attacks with rocks.But can any of them come close to a Major League fastball? And what does that tell us about human evolution, brain power, and the way we’re built to throw? You might be surprised at

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00:08:46

How We Measured the Speed of Light (And Why It’s...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/10

Ever wondered why light is the fastest thing in the universe? Or how scientists first figured out its speed? In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the fascinating journey from Galileo’s lanterns to Einstein’s relativity.From Ole Rømer’s groundbreaking discovery of light’s finite speed to Hippolyte Fizeau’s ingenious wheel experiment, we’ll explore how light sets the universal speed limit. Plus, why light speed remains constant, no matter how fast you’re moving, and how special

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00:04:54

Can Pet Hair Crack a Case? (Forensic Fur Evidence) |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/05/09

In 1994, a white cat named Snowball helped solve one of the most unusual investigations in Canadian history.When a missing person was found days later under suspicious circumstances, authorities recovered a leather jacket near the scene. It had traces of blood—and several strands of white pet hair.There was no human DNA linking the jacket to a suspect. But the person of interest? He had a white cat. Investigators turned to a geneticist who pioneered a new way to test animal DNA—and for the first

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