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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

00:07:15

Twin Films: When Hollywood Makes the Same Movie Twice...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/11/04

Every few years, Hollywood gets déjà vu — two nearly identical movies hit theaters within months of each other. Think Armageddon and Deep Impact, A Bug’s Life and Antz, The Prestige and The Illusionist. How does this keep happening? Are studios copying each other, or is there something deeper going on behind the scenes?In this episode, Gordy unpacks the phenomenon of “twin films” — rival movies that share the same plot, tone, and release window. From asteroid blockbusters to competing magician

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00:07:43

Argentavis: The Heaviest Flying Bird That Ever Lived...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/11/03

Six million years ago, a bird the size of a human soared over prehistoric Argentina. With a 23-foot wingspan and a body weight rivaling a person’s, Argentavis magnificens wasn’t just massive—it was the heaviest flying bird the planet has ever seen.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives deep into the aerodynamics, anatomy, and evolution of this Miocene monster—exploring how it pushed the limits of physics to stay aloft. Learn how scientists modeled its flight mechanics, how it compared to

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00:05:01

The Corpse Flower: Why It Smells Like Death |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/11/02

The Corpse Flower, or Amorphophallus titanum, is one of nature’s strangest performances—a rare botanical spectacle that looks magnificent but smells like death. In this Fright Facts Week episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the bizarre science and history of the world’s largest and smelliest flower, uncovering how evolution engineered this tropical monster to mimic the scent of decay.From its chemical cocktail of putrescine, cadaverine, and dimethyl trisulfide to the way its spadix heats

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00:05:40

Lazarus Syndrome: When the Dead Don’t Stay Dead |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/11/01

It sounds like a horror movie — but it’s real. In this Fright Facts Week episode, Gordy unpacks the eerie medical mystery known as Lazarus Syndrome, when patients declared clinically dead suddenly start breathing again — sometimes minutes after life support has been stopped.From a 1982 Lancet case report to the astonishing real-life story of Velma Thomas, whose heart restarted nearly an hour after death, this episode explores the rare condition that blurs the line between life and death. Gordy dives

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00:04:43

Dead Man’s Fingers: The Halloween Fungus That Looks...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/31

It’s Halloween, and Gordy’s saving the creepiest for last. Deep in the forest, a bizarre fungus called Dead Man’s Fingers pushes up from the soil — blackened, shriveled, and disturbingly human-like. But is it just an illusion… or something stranger?In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the science and folklore behind Xylaria polymorpha, a fungus that looks like it’s clawing its way out of the grave. From its eerie anatomy and forest ecology to the myths that made it famous, this

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00:04:49

The Mummies of Guanajuato: Mexico’s Accidental...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/30

In this chilling Fright Facts Week episode, Gordy uncovers one of the most haunting museums on Earth — a place where nature accidentally mummified hundreds of people. Deep beneath the streets of Guanajuato, Mexico, a strange mix of climate, soil, and 19th-century tax policy turned an ordinary cemetery into a gallery of preserved faces frozen in time.Why did only a handful of bodies mummify while others decayed? What scientific conditions made this town a natural embalming chamber? And how did it all

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00:06:41

Why Sleep Paralysis Makes You See Demons | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/29

During Fright Facts Week, Gordy dives into one of the most chilling experiences the human brain can produce — sleep paralysis, the terrifying moment when your mind wakes up but your body doesn’t. For centuries, people thought it was a demonic visitation, a witch sitting on your chest, or a night hag haunting your dreams. Science calls it REM atonia, but that doesn’t make it feel any less like the real nightmare.In this episode, Gordy explores the psychology, neurology, and cultural history behind

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00:04:49

The Fungus That Turns Ants Into Zombies | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/28

Every Halloween, we talk about zombies. But what if nature already made them? In this Fright Facts Week episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the real-life fungus that controls ants like puppets, forcing them to climb, freeze, and die so it can spread. Known as Ophiocordyceps unilateralis — or the zombie ant fungus — this mind-controlling parasite shows that nature’s horror stories can be even more chilling than fiction.Gordy breaks down how this fungus invades an ant’s body, grows through

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00:05:10

The True Origins of Halloween | Smartest Year Ever...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/27

Every October 31st, millions of people dress as ghosts, ghouls, and superheroes — but few realize that Halloween began as a solemn ritual to survive the coming of winter. In this episode, Gordy traces the 2,000-year-old story of how an ancient Celtic festival called Samhain evolved into the Halloween we know today.From bonfires and animal-skin disguises to soul cakes, turnip lanterns, and the first Jack-o’-lanterns carved from mangled roots, this is the fascinating tale of how pagan superstition

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00:07:04

Miyamoto Musashi: Japan’s Undefeated...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/26

Miyamoto Musashi wasn’t just a samurai—he was Japan’s undefeated warrior-philosopher, a man who turned sword fighting into a system of thought that still influences strategy today.In this episode, Gordy dives into Musashi’s legendary duels, his creation of the two-sword style Niten Ichi-ryū, and his transformation from duelist to artist, strategist, and author of The Book of Five Rings. How did one man win over sixty duels, shape Japanese martial arts, and still end up meditating alone in a

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00:05:53

The Guinness Book of World Records—Born from Beer |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/25

Most people know the Guinness Book of World Records… but almost nobody knows it started with a missed shot at a bird — and a barroom argument that got way out of hand.In this episode, Gordy uncovers the real story behind the Guinness Book of World Records, tracing its roots back to Sir Hugh Beaver, the Guinness Brewery, and one fateful hunting trip in Ireland. Discover how a marketing idea meant to settle pub debates over “the fastest” and “the biggest” turned into a global publishing

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00:04:51

Does Counting Thunder Actually Work? | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/24

Does counting the seconds between lightning and thunder actually tell you how far away a storm is? 🌩️ In this episode, Gordy breaks down the science behind thunder, the physics of sound vs. light, and why that old “One Mississippi” trick actually works — sort of. Discover how Benjamin Franklin, Count Volta, and modern meteorologists all helped turn a childhood storm superstition into a surprisingly accurate way to measure storm distance.Learn how sound speed changes with temperature, humidity, and

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00:06:07

The World’s First Vending Machine | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/23

In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the surprising origins of the world’s first vending machine—and no, it wasn’t dispensing snacks in an airport. Long before soda machines and coffee dispensers, an ancient inventor named Hero of Alexandria engineered a coin-operated device that changed the way humans thought about automation, innovation, and fairness.From holy water dispensers in Greek temples to the Industrial Revolution’s postcard machines, and all the way to Japan’s modern

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00:06:32

Zyzzyx Road: The Lowest-Grossing Movie Ever Made |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/22

Zyzzyx Road might be the most infamous box office flop in Hollywood history—and yet, its failure wasn’t an accident. In this episode, Gordy digs into the bizarre story behind the lowest-grossing movie ever made, starring Katherine Heigl, Tom Sizemore, and one of the strangest marketing “strategies” ever.Why did a movie cost over $1.2 million to make but earn only thirty dollars? How does a desert road, a snake oil salesman, and a Screen Actors Guild loophole all connect to this legendary flop?Gordy

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00:04:43

The Shocking Origins of the Pledge of Allegiance |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/21

Every American kid knows the words to the Pledge of Allegiance—but almost nobody knows where it actually came from.In this episode, Gordy uncovers the unexpected story behind one of America’s most repeated rituals: a pledge born from a children’s magazine, written by a socialist Baptist minister, and once performed with a salute that history has quietly erased.From its 19th-century debut at the Chicago World’s Fair to its Cold War transformation into a patriotic creed, the Pledge has mirrored

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00:04:52

Why We Say “Tug at My Heartstrings” | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/20

In this episode, Gordy dives into the surprising anatomical truth behind one of the most emotional phrases in the English language: “tugging on my heartstrings.” It turns out, this expression isn’t just poetic — it’s rooted in real human anatomy.From the early days of Renaissance medicine to Shakespeare’s poetic turns in Othello, Gordy traces how literal fibrous cords in your heart inspired centuries of art, emotion, and metaphor. Discover how a 16th-century misunderstanding of the heart’s structure

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00:04:40

The Eiffel Tower Was Supposed to Be Torn Down |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/19

The Eiffel Tower is one of the world’s most iconic landmarks—but here’s the twist: it wasn’t meant to last. When Gustave Eiffel’s iron colossus was unveiled for the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris, critics mocked it as a “metal asparagus,” and the city had a plan to dismantle it after just 20 years.Gordy dives into the surprising story of how a structure once despised by Parisians became a permanent symbol of France. From protest letters by artists and writers, to Eiffel’s secret scientific experiments

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00:04:37

The Bell That’s Been Ringing Since 1840 | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/18

At Oxford University, a tiny bell has been quietly defying time for nearly two centuries. Known as the Oxford Electric Bell (or the Clarendon Dry Pile), this mysterious device has been running continuously since the 1840s, powered by one of the world’s oldest batteries. Scientists still don’t fully know how it works, or how it’s lasted this long.Why has this bell never stopped? What makes its unknown battery chemistry so enduring? And what does it reveal about the history of science, electricity,

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00:03:41

The Man Who Survived Two Atomic Bombs | Smartest Year...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/17

What would it be like to experience history’s deadliest weapon — twice? This episode tells the astonishing story of Tsutomu Yamaguchi, a man caught in both the Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic blasts. Gordy unpacks how he endured the unimaginable, what it meant for his family, and why he later devoted his life to warning the world about nuclear weapons.You’ll hear about survival against all odds, Japan in 1945, and how one man became the only officially recognized nijū hibakusha — a “double-bombed

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00:03:57

Monopoly Was Invented to Warn Against Monopolies |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/16

In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy uncovers the hidden history of Monopoly—and it’s not the rags-to-riches story you’ve been told. Everyone knows Monopoly as the classic board game where you crush your family and friends into financial ruin. But few realize that the game began as a cautionary tale against monopolies, created by an inventor who wanted to teach players the dangers of unchecked greed.How did a protest game designed to warn against inequality become the world’s most famous

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368 results

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