Smartest Year Ever
EN399 episodes
education
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.
Episodes (399)
The President Who Used Mandarin as a White House Code | Smartest Year Ever (Nov...
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 21, 20254:02pending
The First President Born in the United States | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 20, 2025...
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 20, 20254:26pending
Presidential Pets: The Weirdest Animals in the White House | Smartest Year Ever...
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 19, 20255:35pending
The First President Ever Photographed | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 18, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 18, 20254:44pending
Did Taft Really Get Stuck in His Bathtub? | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 17, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 17, 20255:40pending
Why Tennis Scoring Makes No Sense | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 16, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 16, 20254:42pending
Placebo Buttons are Everywhere! | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 15, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 15, 20254:22pending
What Fruits and Vegetables Looked Like Before Humans | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 1...
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 14, 20254:59pending
When America Recruited Pets for WWII | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 13, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 13, 20255:20pending
When Did We Start Calling It World War I? | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 12, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 12, 20253:21pending
The Last Soldier to Die in World War I | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 11, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 11, 20254:40pending
Why Veterans Day Was Once in October | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 10, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 10, 20254:38pending
Why Canada Has a Polar Bear Jail | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 9, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 9, 20254:33pending
The Weird History of the Michelin Man: From Tires to Fine Dining | Smartest Year...
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 8, 20255:30pending
Why You See Floating Dots in Your Vision | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 7, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 7, 20254:32pending
Why Quartz Is Used in Watches | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 6, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 6, 20255:16pending
The Pitch Drop: Science’s Slowest Experiment | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 5, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 5, 20256:03pending
Twin Films: When Hollywood Makes the Same Movie Twice | Smartest Year Ever (Nov...
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 4, 20257:15pending
Argentavis: The Heaviest Flying Bird That Ever Lived | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 3...
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 3, 20257:43pending
The Corpse Flower: Why It Smells Like Death | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 2, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 2, 20255:01pending
Lazarus Syndrome: When the Dead Don’t Stay Dead | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 1, 202...
Smartest Year Ever
Nov 1, 20255:40pending
Dead Man’s Fingers: The Halloween Fungus That Looks Like It’s Clawing from the G...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 31, 20254:43pending
The Mummies of Guanajuato: Mexico’s Accidental Mummies | Smartest Year Ever (Oct...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 30, 20254:49pending
Why Sleep Paralysis Makes You See Demons | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 29, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 29, 20256:41pending
The Fungus That Turns Ants Into Zombies | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 28, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 28, 20254:49pending
The True Origins of Halloween | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 27, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 27, 20255:10pending
Miyamoto Musashi: Japan’s Undefeated Warrior-Philosopher | Smartest Year Ever (O...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 26, 20257:04pending
The Guinness Book of World Records—Born from Beer | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 25,...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 25, 20255:53pending
Does Counting Thunder Actually Work? | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 24, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 24, 20254:51pending
The World’s First Vending Machine | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 23, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 23, 20256:07pending
Zyzzyx Road: The Lowest-Grossing Movie Ever Made | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 22, 2...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 22, 20256:32pending
The Shocking Origins of the Pledge of Allegiance | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 21, 2...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 21, 20254:43pending
Why We Say “Tug at My Heartstrings” | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 20, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 20, 20254:52pending
The Eiffel Tower Was Supposed to Be Torn Down | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 19, 2025...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 19, 20254:40pending
The Bell That’s Been Ringing Since 1840 | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 18, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 18, 20254:37pending
The Man Who Survived Two Atomic Bombs | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 17, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 17, 20253:41pending
Monopoly Was Invented to Warn Against Monopolies | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 16, 2...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 16, 20253:57pending
Esperanto: The Language That Tried to Unite the World | Smartest Year Ever (Oct...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 15, 20254:33pending
The Day Teddy Roosevelt Was Shot and Still Gave a Speech | Smartest Year Ever (O...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 14, 20256:20pending
Columbus Day’s Big Irony: He Never Reached the U.S. | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 13...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 13, 20255:31pending
The Erdapfel: The Last Globe Without America | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 12, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 12, 20254:57pending
Operation Red Dog: The Neo-Nazi Coup You’ve Never Heard Of | Smartest Year Ever...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 11, 20254:31pending
The Cadaver Synod: When a Dead Pope Stood Trial | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 10, 20...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 10, 20254:24pending
The Four Pests Campaign: How Killing Sparrows Backfired | Smartest Year Ever (Oc...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 9, 20254:04pending
The Great Stink of 1858: When London Reeked | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 8, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 8, 20255:11pending
The Ghost Army: WWII’s Secret Deception Unit | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 7, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 7, 20254:17pending
George Washington’s Teeth: Myth vs. Reality | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 6, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 6, 20255:51pending
When Did Generations Start Getting Names? | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 5, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 5, 20256:03pending
Is Superhuman Strength in Emergencies Real or Just a Myth? | Smartest Year Ever...
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 4, 20254:40pending
What Is the Ugliest Color in the World? | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 3, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 3, 20255:20pending
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