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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

00:04:33

Esperanto: The Language That Tried to Unite the World...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/15

Esperanto is the language that set out to change the world. In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the story of L. L. Zamenhof, the Polish doctor who believed a single, neutral, easy-to-learn language could unite humanity. From its bold beginnings in 1887, to its suppression under Hitler and Stalin, to its surprising survival today—Esperanto has lived a remarkable life.Why did this invented language inspire such hope—and such fear? And why does it still attract speakers and learners

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00:06:20

The Day Teddy Roosevelt Was Shot and Still Gave a...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/14

Theodore Roosevelt’s 1912 campaign nearly ended in bloodshed—but instead, it became one of the most legendary moments in American political history. On the night of October 14, 1912, Roosevelt was shot in the chest while campaigning in Milwaukee. What happened next only added to the Bull Moose mythos—and solidified Roosevelt’s place as one of the most unforgettable figures in U.S. history.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into Roosevelt’s attempted assassination, the dramatic events

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00:05:31

Columbus Day’s Big Irony: He Never Reached the U.S. |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/13

Christopher Columbus is celebrated every year in the United States — but there’s a big historical twist most people miss. Gordy dives into the history of Columbus Day, the myth-making that turned Columbus into an American icon, and the surprising truth about where he actually traveled.Why does the U.S. honor a man who never even touched its soil? And how did maps, textbooks, and politics turn Columbus into a symbolic founding figure? This episode explores the real voyages of Columbus, the creation

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00:04:57

The Erdapfel: The Last Globe Without America |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/12

What did the world look like before the Americas appeared on any map? In 1492, Martin Behaim unveiled the Erdapfel, the oldest surviving globe in existence. This hand-painted sphere was a Renaissance masterpiece—and yet, it’s hilariously wrong. Based on Marco Polo’s exaggerations, Ptolemaic geography, and medieval sailor legends, the Erdapfel shows a world with no Americas, an oversized Japan, and oceans dotted with phantom islands.This video explores why the Erdapfel matters, how it reflected

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00:04:31

Operation Red Dog: The Neo-Nazi Coup You’ve Never...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/11

In 1981, a bizarre coup plot unfolded that blended neo-Nazis, mercenaries, and a deposed Caribbean prime minister into one of the most farcical operations in modern history. Known as Operation Red Dog, this failed attempt to seize control of the island of Dominica became infamous as the so-called “Bayou of Pigs.”In this episode, Gordy explores how a group of extremists loaded up weapons, ammo, and propaganda in Louisiana, only to be stopped by federal agents before they even left the dock. It’s a

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00:04:24

The Cadaver Synod: When a Dead Pope Stood Trial |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/10

In 897 AD, Rome staged one of the most grotesque and unforgettable trials in history. The defendant wasn’t alive—he was already buried. Months after his death, Pope Formosus was dug up, dressed in papal robes, and placed in a courtroom chair to face charges in what became known as the Cadaver Synod.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy unpacks the twisted mix of medieval politics, papal power struggles, and dark spectacle that turned a corpse into the star witness of his own trial. From the

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00:04:04

The Four Pests Campaign: How Killing Sparrows...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/09

In 1958, Mao Zedong launched the Four Pests Campaign as part of the Great Leap Forward, a nationwide effort to eliminate rats, flies, mosquitoes, and sparrows. The goal was to protect crops and public health. Instead, it spiraled into one of the greatest ecological disasters in modern history.Gordy takes you inside this story of pots, pans, and sparrows falling from the sky, showing how a war against nature turned into an unintended famine-inducing catastrophe. Learn how sparrow extermination caused

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00:05:11

The Great Stink of 1858: When London Reeked |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/08

The Great Stink of 1858 was more than just a bad smell—it was one of the most pivotal turning points in Victorian history. In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy uncovers how the Thames turned toxic, why Parliament nearly shut down, and how this crisis gave rise to one of the greatest feats of 19th-century engineering: Joseph Bazalgette’s modern London sewer system.From the Industrial Revolution’s overflowing streets to the scorching summer that “cooked” the river, this story blends public

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00:04:17

The Ghost Army: WWII’s Secret Deception Unit |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/07

In 1944, a secret U.S. Army unit carried inflatable tanks, blasted fake soundscapes, and staged phantom divisions across Europe. Known as the Ghost Army, this group of artists, designers, and engineers turned creativity into one of the most unusual weapons of World War II.Gordy takes you through how these master illusionists used camouflage, sound effects, and radio trickery to deceive the Nazis—and how their daring deceptions saved thousands of lives. The story stayed classified for decades and

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00:05:51

George Washington’s Teeth: Myth vs. Reality |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/06

George Washington’s teeth are legendary—but not for the reasons most people think. For centuries, kids have been taught that America’s first president had wooden teeth, but that’s one of history’s most stubborn myths. The reality is stranger, more unsettling, and far more revealing about life in the 18th century.In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy digs into the myth vs. reality of Washington’s dental struggles. From ivory dentures carved from hippopotamus and cow teeth to spring-loaded

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00:06:03

When Did Generations Start Getting Names? | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/05

Today, Gordy explores the surprising history of generational names—from the Lost Generation to Baby Boomers, Generation X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Why did we start labeling entire age groups with catchy titles? And who decided which names stuck?This episode traces the evolution of generation branding, from sociological theory in the 19th century to cultural touchstones like Hemingway, Tom Brokaw, and Douglas Coupland. You’ll learn how terms like Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and Gen Alpha took

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00:04:40

Is Superhuman Strength in Emergencies Real or Just a...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/04

Is superhuman strength in emergencies real—or just a myth?Gordy explores the phenomenon known as hysterical strength, those jaw-dropping moments when people seem to summon superhuman power in a crisis. From stories of mothers lifting cars to scientific insights into adrenaline, motor unit recruitment, and pain suppression, this episode dives into the fascinating mix of physiology, myth, and legend.Why do so many reports involve cars—often Chevys—and are these feats truly possible, or just

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00:05:20

What Is the Ugliest Color in the World? | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/03

What is the ugliest color in the world? On this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy digs into the strange story of Pantone 448C, a muddy greenish-brown shade that became the unlikely star of a worldwide public health campaign.This episode explores:How color psychology influences perception and behaviorWhy Pantone 448C was chosen in cigarette packaging regulationsThe role of design, branding, and public health in shaping human habitsHow culture, history, and even evolutionary instincts affect our

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00:04:42

Why Countries Have Different Names in English |...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/10/02

Why do we say Germany in English when locals call it Deutschland? Why is Japan “Japan” to us but Nihon in Japanese? And why does Greece go by “Hellas” inside its own borders?In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the fascinating world of exonyms and endonyms—the outsider names and insider names that reveal the tangled history of languages, empires, and trade routes. From Roman labels like Germania, to Portuguese traders shaping “Japan”, to why Ivory Coast officially asked the world

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00:06:08

How Big Is Olympus Mons, the Solar System’s Tallest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/30

Olympus Mons is the tallest mountain in the solar system—a Martian giant that makes Mount Everest look like a speed bump. Gordy breaks down just how massive this shield volcano is, why Mars can grow mountains on a scale Earth can’t touch, and how humans first discovered it.From comparisons with Mauna Kea and Everest, to the role of weak gravity and the lack of plate tectonics, this episode unpacks why Olympus Mons holds the crown. You’ll also hear about the enormous caldera, cliffs taller than

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00:04:57

How Many Poppy Seeds Will Make You Fail a Drug Test?...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/29

How many poppy seeds does it take to make a drug test go positive? Gordy digs into the strange overlap between breakfast bagels, opium poppies, and the science of urine testing thresholds.This episode of Smartest Year Ever explores how Papaver somniferum (the opium poppy) ended up blurring the line between a harmless poppy-seed muffin and a failed drug screening. From the Sumerians calling it the “joy plant,” to modern federal workplace drug testing standards, to the World Anti-Doping Agency’s poppy

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00:05:03

Do Animals Have Accents? | Smartest Year Ever (Sept...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/28

Do animals have accents? Gordy dives into the fascinating world of animal communication—from whales with regional songs, to bird dialects, to cows rumored to moo with local twangs. This episode explores how creatures from orcas to sparrows to goats develop unique sounds depending on geography, culture, and social learning.What starts as a simple question—do animals have accents like humans?—opens up into a wild exploration of dialects in the natural world, the science of vocal learning, and how

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00:06:24

Animals on Trial: Pigs in Pants and Rats with Lawyers...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/27

Animals once stood trial in real courts. From pigs in pants to rats with lawyers, the medieval justice system went to bizarre lengths to prosecute creatures for crimes. Gordy explores the strangest animal trials in history, where the line between justice, religion, and superstition completely blurred.You’ll hear about a pig executed in France, rats defended in court, insects excommunicated by the church, and even a rooster burned for witchcraft. These weren’t symbolic punishments—they were full

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00:06:21

Benjamin the Tasmanian Tiger and the Tragedy of...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/26

Benjamin the Tasmanian Tiger is one of the most haunting symbols of extinction. This episode of Smartest Year Ever dives into the tragic story of the last thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, and the powerful concept of an endling—the final surviving member of a species.Gordy explores how Benjamin’s lonely fate in Hobart Zoo became a global reminder of the irreversible cost of extinction. Along the way, he unpacks the meaning of “endling” and revisits other unforgettable examples: Martha

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00:05:25

The Greasefish: Colombia’s Lost Torch Fish | Smartest...

Smartest Year Ever ·

2025/09/25

The Greasefish of Lake Tota—a strange Colombian catfish so packed with fat it could be lit like a torch. Gordy dives into the bizarre story of Rhizosomichthys totae, an enigmatic species once found in Colombia’s largest lake. Was it truly driven extinct by invasive rainbow trout, or could it still be hiding in the depths today?This episode of Smartest Year Ever blends science, history, and curiosity to reveal how a fish unlike any other captured the imagination of locals and scientists alike. Along

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368 results

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