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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

00:03:14

Why Is Olive Oil Extra Virgin? | Smartest Year Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/27

Why is olive oil so obsessed with virginity? It’s the only oil in your kitchen that insists on being called “extra virgin”—but what does that actually mean? Today, Gordy breaks down the grading system of olive oil, what makes it extra virgin, and how the International Olive Council (yes, that’s a real thing) ensures your EVOO isn’t a scam.Follow Smartest Year Ever for daily mind-expanding facts!Sources: International Olive Council. (2023). Trade standard applying to olive oils and olive pomace oils

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00:04:12

Discontinued Dollar Bills | Smartest Year Ever (Feb...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/26

Ever had a $2 bill and felt like you were holding a piece of forbidden currency? Or heard rumors about $500 or even $10,000 bills? Believe it or not, the U.S. once had a whole lineup of banknotes that are now either extinct or barely hanging on.Gordy breaks down:💵 The $2 Bill – Discontinued, revived, and still secretly printed today.💰 The $500, $1,000, $5,000 & $10,000 Bills – From crime lords to banking giants, these bills once ruled high-stakes transactions.🏦 The $100,000 Bill – The largest

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00:03:38

The Kentucky Meat Shower | Smartest Year Ever (Feb...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/25

On March 3, 1876, the skies over a quiet Kentucky town opened up—not with rain, not with hail, but with mysterious chunks of raw meat. Dubbed the Kentucky Meat Shower, this bizarre event saw bloody, four-inch slabs of flesh falling from above, covering the farm of Mrs. Crouch, who was just outside making soap when the sky-meat apocalypse began.Eyewitnesses, being the curious (and possibly reckless) types, tasted the mystery meat, reporting that it had the texture of mutton or venison. But where did

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00:04:35

Gorilla Glasses | Smartest Year Ever (Feb 24, 2025)

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/24

Eye contact can be intense—but lock eyes with a gorilla, and you might be asking for trouble. That’s exactly what happened at the Rotterdam Zoo, where gorillas were getting agitated by staring contests with visitors. The solution? Gorilla Glasses—cardboard glasses with fake eyes to trick the gorillas into thinking you weren’t challenging them to a 400-pound showdown.In this episode, Gordy dives into the science of primate behavior, the wild story of Bokito, the gorilla who leapt a moat after

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00:03:35

Nominative Determinism | Smartest Year Ever (Feb 23,...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/23

Ever feel like some people were destined for their jobs? Meet nominative determinism—the uncanny idea that your name might subtly nudge you toward a fitting career. Why else would a neurologist be named Lord Brain, or a urologist be Dr. Stream? And let’s not forget the legend, Usain Bolt, who became the fastest man alive.Coined in the 1990s by New Scientist, nominative determinism suggests that we may unconsciously gravitate toward careers that match our names. Studies even show Dennis and Denise

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00:03:39

Ancient Statues Were Colorful?! | Smartest Year Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/22

For centuries, we’ve been fed a big fat artistic lie. Those sleek, white marble statues from ancient Greece and Rome? They weren’t supposed to be white. They were painted in bold, almost garish colors—think bright reds, deep blues, and even gold leaf.So why do we think of them as pristine white? Blame time, weather, and Renaissance scholars who assumed the ruins they found were always meant to look that way. Modern science has exposed the truth. Using UV light, X-ray fluorescence, and pigment

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00:04:53

Why Do We Blow Out Birthday Candles? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/21

Blowing out birthday candles might be the germiest part of your celebration—bacteria levels on a cake can increase by 1,400% when someone makes a wish. But where did this bizarre tradition even come from?Turns out, ancient Greeks, 18th-century Germans, and soul-stealing spirits all played a role in the evolution of the birthday cake ritual. From offering moonlit cakes to Artemis to Kinderfest candles symbolizing the “light of life,” the history of birthday celebrations is far weirder (and

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00:02:47

Light vs. Dark Roast: Who Wins the Caffeine War? |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/20

2/20/25 - Light vs. Dark Roast: Who Wins the Caffeine War?Does dark roast have more caffeine because it's “stronger,” or does light roast pack more punch because it’s roasted less? Coffee debates get steamy, but here’s the real answer: it depends on how you measure it. If you measure by volume (a scoop of grounds), light roast wins—the beans are denser, so you get more caffeine per scoop. If you measure by weight (on a scale), dark roast wins—roasting removes moisture, so you end up using more

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00:03:25

Why Do We Go Bald on Our Heads but Not Our Faces? |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/19

Why does male pattern baldness target your scalp but leave your beard untouched? The answer lies in DHT (dihydrotestosterone)—a byproduct of testosterone that miniaturizes hair follicles on your head while supercharging beard growth.Today, Gordy dives into:Why DHT causes balding but boosts facial hairThe genetic lottery that determines who loses hairWhy arm and leg hair stay intact while your hairline retreatsThe evolutionary irony behind baldingYour body isn’t losing hair—it’s just moving it around

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00:04:41

Why Do We Clap? | Smartest Year Ever (Feb 18, 2025)

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/18

Why do we clap instead of, say, snorting like a pig? 🤔 Applause is so universal that even babies do it without being taught—but where did it start? Turns out, clapping has a deep history, from Roman toga waves to professional clappers hired to make performances seem like a bigger hit.Ancient Rome had elite squads of applauders, and in 18th-century France, claqueurs were literally paid to clap—or boo if they weren’t compensated. Even Emperor Nero had 5,000 professional clappers ensuring his

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00:03:26

The Truth About Presidents' Day | Smartest Year Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/17

Is today Presidents' Day or Washington’s Birthday? Thefederal government still calls itWashington’s Birthday, but thanks toconfusion, marketing, and retail sales, the name “Presidents’ Day” took over. It all started with theUniform Monday Holiday Act (1968)—a law meant to give Americans morethree-day weekends by shifting certain holidays to Mondays. But this change had an unintended effect.Find out how alaw meant to standardize holidays accidentally created a new one, why Washington’s actual

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00:04:28

2/16/25 - The Rise and Fall of Holidomes

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/16

2/16/25 - The Rise and Fall of HolidomesOnce upon a time, you didn’t need to book a flight to escape the cold—you just needed a Holiday Inn Holidome. These indoor vacation hubs promised a year-round paradise, complete with pools, putt-putt courses, and an arcade—all under one giant dome. For kids in the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s, Holidomes were the ultimate getaway. So why did they disappear? And why do so many people still feel nostalgic for these surreal hotel playgrounds? Gordy dives into the golden

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00:04:42

2/15/25 - The Dirty Origins of Pink Lemonade

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/15

Pink lemonade—just a fancy version of regular lemonade, right? Not exactly. Its origins are as messy as a circus act gone wrong. In today’s episode, Gordy uncovers two competing (and equally absurd) stories about how pink lemonade was born. Was it a circus worker’s desperate attempt to make lemonade with sock water? Or was it a lucky mistake involving cinnamon candy? Either way, the drink quickly evolved from questionable origins into an American staple. And today? Some brands still use real fruit,

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00:04:19

2/14/25 - The Brutal Truth Behind Valentine’s Day

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/14

Valentine’s Day—a holiday of love, romance, and… brutal execution records? 💀 If you think modern Valentine's is a mystery wrapped in chocolate, try figuring out why it’s named after a beheaded saint who also happens to be the patron of epilepsy and beekeepers.Gordy breaks down the tangled history of St. Valentine—or possibly multiple St. Valentines—and how a third-century execution date turned into a global celebration of overpriced greeting cards. The story involves secret marriages, medieval

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00:04:19

2/13/25 - The Surprising History of Valentine’s Day...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/13

Valentine’s Day cards weren’t always about love and romance. The earliest known Valentine came from a prisoner in the Tower of London—because nothing says "Be mine" like medieval incarceration.Today, Gordy uncovers the surprising history of Valentine’s Day cards—from the poetic musings of a lovesick French duke in 1415 to the rise of Esther Howland, the “Mother of the American Valentine”, and how Hallmark turned February 14th into big business. Whether you’re a romantic at heart or

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00:04:16

2/12/25 - Abraham Lincoln: Wrestling Champion?

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/12

2/12/25 - Abraham Lincoln: Wrestling Champion?Everyone knows Abraham Lincoln as a towering historical figure, but did you know he was also a literal giant in the wrestling ring? With a 300-1 record, an honorary induction into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, and a famous brawl that solidified his street cred, Lincoln might just be the most dominant fighter in presidential history. Gordy breaks down Lincoln’s wrestling career, his legendary fight with a gang leader, and the one man who actually

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00:04:08

2/11/25 - The Truth Behind “A Grain of Salt”

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/11

Ever wondered why we say “take it with a grain of salt”? This phrase traces back to Pliny the Elder, an ancient Roman historian who recorded a poison antidote recipe that included—you guessed it—a single grain of salt. Over centuries, this idea evolved into its modern meaning: a skeptical approach to questionable claims.Join Gordy as he digs into the surprising history of this saying, from Roman medicine to the English language. 🎧 Follow @SmartestYearEver on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram for

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00:04:02

2/10/25 - The Immortal Jellyfish: Nature’s Biggest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/10

What if you could hit the reset button on life—same body, same memories, just… younger? Well, one tiny jellyfish has already cracked the code. Meet Turritopsis dohrnii, better known as the immortal jellyfish—because it refuses to die like a normal organism. Instead of aging, it de-ages, turning back into a baby version of itself and starting life all over again. Scientists are still trying to figure out how, and the answers could hold the key to aging research, regenerative medicine, and maybe even

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00:03:21

2/9/25 - Why It’s Never Red Gatorade at the Super Bowl

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/09

Every year, millions of dollars are wagered on one of the weirdest bets in sports: What color Gatorade will be dumped on the winning Super Bowl coach? Orange, blue, yellow, purple—but never red. In over 40 years of Super Bowl Gatorade showers, red Gatorade has never won. And it’s not random—there’s a reason. From the staining problem, to players avoiding it, to superstition, to terrible sportsbook odds—red is the one color that never makes it into the cooler. Find out why no team wants to be the

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00:04:45

2/8/25 - The Kola Nut: The Forgotten Ingredient in Cola

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/02/08

Ever wondered why cola is a household favorite, yet you never hear about the kola nut anymore?🔹 What is the kola nut, and why was it historically used?🔹 How did Coca-Cola and other brands replace real kola nut extract?🔹 Why do we call it cola instead of kola today? Find out how marketing, chemistry, and cultural shifts shaped one of the world’s most famous drinks! 👍 Like, Subscribe & Hit the Bell for daily mind-blowing facts!📲 Follow Smartest Year Ever for daily clips on TikTok, Instagram,

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