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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

00:05:26

Why Are There So Many Pigeons in Cities? | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/28

Pigeons are everywhere—but why? In this episode, Gordy uncovers how these birds went from ancient messengers and status symbols to the feathered freeloaders of modern cities. Turns out, today's city pigeons are descendants of the rock dove, one of the earliest domesticated animals. Once prized by Mesopotamians, Egyptians, and Persians, they thrived alongside humans for thousands of years—before going feral. Cities became the perfect stand-in for their natural cliffside homes, and they never left.Why

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00:06:23

Why Is It Called Bluetooth? | Smartest Year Ever (Apr...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/27

Bluetooth: one of the most common wireless technologies today—but why is it named after a Viking king with a dead tooth? Gordy explores the quirky origin of the name, diving into the story of Harald "Bluetooth" Gormsson, the 10th-century ruler who united Denmark and Norway... and inspired the name of a 1990s tech revolution.Find out why engineers at Intel, Ericsson, and Nokia almost went with a bland name like PAN ("Personal Area Networking"), but instead left us with Viking

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00:05:34

Do You Own the Land All the Way to the Earth’s Core?...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/26

Ever wondered how deep your property really goes? Gordy takes you on a deep dive—literally—into subsurface property rights. From ancient laws like the ad coelum doctrine to modern mineral rights and airspace ownership, this episode explores what you actually own beneath your feet... and what belongs to someone else.You might own your house, your yard, even a nice basement—but the Earth’s core? That’s where the line is drawn. Find out why you can’t just dig your way to the center of the Earth, and

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00:07:16

Could a Neanderthal Outrun You? | Smartest Year Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/25

Neanderthals weren’t just strong—they were fast. Built like linebackers, not marathoners. Gordy breaks down how fast a Neanderthal could sprint, using modern biomechanics, anthropology, and evolutionary science.With shorter limbs but massive muscle attachments, Neanderthals could hit estimated speeds of 20–25 mph in short bursts—almost matching elite modern athletes. So, could they beat you in a 40-yard dash? The answer might surprise you.Explore the science of speed, the evolutionary split between

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00:04:59

LA’s Palm Trees Are Dying—and They’re Not Coming Back...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/24

Palm trees and Los Angeles feel like they go hand in hand—but they’re not even from here. Most were imported in the early 20th century to help sell a dream, and now that dream is fading. These trees are aging out, not being replaced, and within a few decades, they’ll disappear from LA’s skyline. Gordy breaks down the history of LA’s palm obsession, why they were planted in the first place, and what’s replacing them as the city shifts away from its iconic—but artificial—look.Follow Gordy on his daily

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00:05:25

Why Zebras Were Never Domesticated | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/23

Why don’t we ride zebras? They look like designer horses, but they’ve never joined the lineup of domesticated animals. In this episode, Gordy dives into the wild nature of zebras, why they’ve resisted human control, and how their biology and behavior made them impossible to tame—even in Africa where people lived beside them for thousands of years.From Lord Walter Rothschild’s zebra carriage to modern genetics, we explore why these striped beasts remain untouchable. Learn how temperament, social

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00:02:54

Who Invented the Recycling Symbol? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/22

On Earth Day 1970, a college student submitted a simple, elegant design to a contest. That design became the now-iconic recycling symbol—a triangle of arrows chasing each other endlessly. But does it really mean something is recyclable?In today’s episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the surprising history and modern misuse of the recycling symbol, also known as the Mobius loop. From Gary Anderson’s winning design to the unregulated use of the triangle-on-plastics today, this story is a

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00:05:30

The Craziest Olympic Marathon Ever | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/21

In today’s Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the wildest Olympic race of all time—the 1904 Olympic Marathon in St. Louis, Missouri, a chaotic, dusty disaster full of cars, poison, and unbelievable cheating.From runners collapsing in 90-degree heat with no water, to a guy literally riding in a car for part of the race… and still almost winning—this event was absolute madness.Even the official winner, Thomas Hicks, was dosed with strychnine—yes, the poison used to kill rats—mixed with brandy and

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00:02:40

Why Do We Say “Going Cold Turkey”? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/20

Why do we say someone quit “cold turkey” when they stop something abruptly? Gordy breaks down the two top theories behind this odd phrase—and neither involves leftovers.One theory ties the phrase to the physical symptoms of withdrawal, where pale skin and goosebumps were said to resemble uncooked turkey. The other traces it back to the older phrase “talking turkey,” meaning to speak plainly—with “cold turkey” evolving into a metaphor for doing something bluntly and without ceremony.So which theory

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00:06:15

How Did They Measure Everest Before Computers? |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/19

How did they measure Mount Everest before satellites, drones, or even calculators? In today’s episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores how 19th-century surveyors pulled off one of the most impressive feats of pre-digital science — calculating the height of the world’s tallest mountain with stunning precision.Long before GPS, the British-led Great Trigonometrical Survey of India used trigonometry, angle measurements, and a whole lot of patience to determine that Peak XV — later renamed Mount

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00:03:47

Why Do We Have a Uvula? | Smartest Year Ever (Apr 18,...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/18

You know that little dangly thing at the back of your throat? It’s called the uvula, and it’s not just hanging out for decoration. In today’s episode, Gordy dives into why we have a uvula, what it does, and how it quietly helps us speak, swallow, and stay healthy.Turns out, this squishy little grape-shaped structure is involved in everything from making certain consonants possible to preventing food from going up your nose. It even contributes to your immune defense — and yes, it can swell up and

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00:05:29

Why Didn’t the Industrial Revolution Happen in...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/17

If Ancient Rome was so brilliant, why didn’t they invent trains? Or steam engines? Or, you know… industrialize?In this episode, Gordy explores why one of history’s most advanced civilizations never sparked an industrial revolution, even though they had brilliant engineers, sprawling cities, and even a proto-steam engine over a thousand years before James Watt.From the invention of Hero’s aeolipile to Rome’s heavy reliance on slave labor and rigid social hierarchies, this episode breaks down the

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00:05:35

Where Do Food Idioms Come From? | Smartest Year Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/16

Why do we call someone the “salt of the earth”? Or say someone’s “all that and a bag of chips”? In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy breaks down the surprising, strange, and sometimes murky origins of common food idioms. From medieval soup to colonial slang, we’re digging into five of the most popular phrases — including one submitted by a listener on TikTok.Language is messy, and idiom histories aren’t always crystal clear — but these stories give you the best-supported theories we’ve got

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00:04:30

Why You Can’t Sell Your Oscar | Smartest Year Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/15

Since 1951, Oscar winners have been legally blocked from selling their statuettes. Why? Because the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences wants to keep the Oscars about artistic merit—not money.Gordy breaks down the unusual contract every winner enters: they must offer the Oscar back to the Academy for one dollar before trying to sell, gift, or even bequeath it. That dollar isn’t random—it’s a legal requirement called “consideration.” Without it, the agreement wouldn’t hold up in court.So

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00:06:16

Why Do Cicadas Sleep for 17 Years? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/15

Why Do Cicadas Wait 17 Years to Emerge? The Evolutionary Secret Behind Prime Number Broods Cicadas don’t hibernate for 17 years—they strategically wait underground, avoiding predators with one of the most fascinating evolutionary timelines on Earth.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into Brood XIV, the massive group of cicadas emerging in 2025 across 13 U.S. states. Why do they come out every 13 or 17 years? And why those weird prime numbers?Turns out, it’s a brilliant move called

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00:05:31

Is It Illegal Not to Have a Last Name? | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/13

Can you legally go through life in the U.S. with just one name? In today’s episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the strange paradox of naming laws in America: it’s not illegal to be nameless—but try living without one, and you’ll hit a bureaucratic wall. From government forms to bank accounts, our systems are built on two-name assumptions. Gordy investigates whether going mononym like Prince is actually possible, and what happens if you try.Plus: the story of a girl named Talula Does the

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00:05:36

1925's Crazy Predictions for 2025—What Actually Came...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/13

In this episode, Gordy digs into some wildly optimistic (and occasionally insulting) predictions made in 1925 about the world we’d be living in today, in 2025. From flying cars and rooftop airports to the disappearance of beauty itself, futurists from a century ago weren’t exactly short on opinions.Featuring forecasts from scientists, novelists, and newspaper editors, this episode unpacks five of the most striking predictions made in the roaring 1920s. Some came close—like H.G. Wells’s vision of a

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00:04:02

Why Do Donkeys and Your Backside Share a Word? |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/11

Why do donkeys and your backside share the same word? It’s not what you think.In today’s episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy unpacks the linguistic mix-up that gave us the same word for both a pack animal and your posterior. Spoiler: it has nothing to do with donkeys being stubborn.The term for a donkey comes from Latin asinus, while the word for your rear end traces back to Old English ærs, which became arse, and later the modern American version we all know—just spelled the same as the animal.So,

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00:03:28

Does Birth Order Really Shape Your Personality—or Is...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/10

Does your birth order actually influence your personality—or is your older sibling just using it to justify being bossy?In Episode 100 of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the classic theory that birth order shapes personality. Are firstborns really more responsible? Do youngest siblings actually tend to be rebellious? And what happens to middle children—besides being forgotten at Walmart?From Alfred Adler’s early theories to modern scientific studies, we dig into whether there’s any real science

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00:02:25

Humanity’s Backup Plan: The Doomsday Seed Vault in...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/04/09

What’s humanity’s backup plan if farming fails? Gordy explores the Svalbard Global Seed Vault, a secure facility tucked inside a Norwegian mountain that stores over a million seed samples—a real-life "save game" button for civilization.From war zones to climate change, agriculture has always been vulnerable. But Svalbard’s frozen vault preserves the genetic future of crops, offering hope if disaster ever strikes. And in 2015, it already proved its worth when seeds were withdrawn during the

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378 results

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