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)
Why Countries Have Different Names in English | Smartest Year Ever (Oct 2, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Oct 2, 20254:42pending
How Big Is Olympus Mons, the Solar System’s Tallest Mountain? | Smartest Year Ev...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 30, 20256:08pending
How Many Poppy Seeds Will Make You Fail a Drug Test? | Smartest Year Ever (Sept...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 29, 20254:57pending
Do Animals Have Accents? | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 28, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 28, 20255:03pending
Animals on Trial: Pigs in Pants and Rats with Lawyers | Smartest Year Ever (Sept...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 27, 20256:24pending
Benjamin the Tasmanian Tiger and the Tragedy of Endlings | Smartest Year Ever (S...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 26, 20256:21pending
The Greasefish: Colombia’s Lost Torch Fish | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 25, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 25, 20255:25pending
Animal Xing Signs: When Do They Put Them Up? | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 24, 2025...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 24, 20255:36pending
Pygmy Mammoths & Giant Mice: Island Syndrome | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 23, 2025...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 23, 20254:56pending
The Longest Bird Flight Ever | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 22, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 22, 20254:47pending
Who Really Invented the High Five? | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 21, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 21, 20254:50pending
How Two Sisters Gave Us the World’s Most Famous Song | Smartest Year Ever (Sept...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 20, 20255:05pending
The Strange Ways Museums Protected Art in WWII | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 19, 20...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 19, 20254:08pending
438 Days Adrift: The Longest Survival at Sea | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 18, 2025...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 18, 20257:41pending
The Science Behind the Worst Sound Ever | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 17, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 17, 20255:44pending
Who Were the Hasanlu Lovers? | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 16, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 16, 20255:02pending
Why Tennis Balls Smell So Good | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 15, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 15, 20254:33pending
Where Did Restaurants Really Begin? | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 14, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 14, 20256:33pending
The Human Bottomless Pit: The Tragic Story of Tarrare | Smartest Year Ever (Sept...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 13, 20256:17pending
How Much Cocaine was in Coca-Cola? | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 12, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 12, 20254:25pending
The Strange Evolution of Ketchup | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 11, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 11, 20255:25pending
Do Dolphins Drink Water? | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 10, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 10, 20253:47pending
Forks Were Once Considered Sinful | Smartest Year Ever (Sept 9, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 9, 20254:43pending
Still Edible After 3,000 Years? The Oldest Food Ever Found | Smartest Year Ever...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 8, 20256:44pending
Zipf’s Law: The Math Behind Every Sentence | Smartest Year Ever (Sep 7, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 7, 20254:38pending
Able Archer 83: The 1983 NATO Drill That Almost Started World War 3 | Smartest Y...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 6, 20256:04pending
The World’s Tallest Unclimbed Mountains | Smartest Year Ever (Sep 5 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 5, 20254:35pending
The World’s Oldest Tattoos and Ötzi the Iceman | Smartest Year Ever (Sep 4, 2025...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 4, 20254:54pending
The Thatcher Illusion: Why Flipped Faces Fool Your Brain | Smartest Year Ever (S...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 3, 20254:16pending
Why Are Most People Right-Handed? | Smartest Year Ever (Sep 2, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 2, 20255:34pending
Why Do We Say “Cloud Nine”? | Smartest Year Ever (Sep 1, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 1, 20256:11pending
The First Ferris Wheel: America’s Answer to the Eiffel Tower? | Smartest Year Ev...
Smartest Year Ever
Sep 1, 20256:34pending
What Does Percent Chance of Rain Actually Mean? | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 31, 20...
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 31, 20254:23pending
Does It Really Rain Fish in Honduras? (Lluvia de Peces) | Smartest Year Ever (Au...
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 30, 20255:44pending
Is Ball Lightning Real? | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 29, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 29, 20255:41pending
The Coldest Day (and the Coldest Place) on Earth | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 28, 2...
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 28, 20255:28pending
The Hottest Day (and the Hottest Place) on Earth | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 27, 2...
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 27, 20256:57pending
The City That Went 14 Years Without Rain | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 26, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 26, 20254:59pending
What the Dew Point Really Tells You | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 25, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 25, 20256:49pending
When Were Sunglasses Invented? | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 24, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 24, 20255:53pending
Is There a Square Mile on Earth No Human Has Ever Been? | Smartest Year Ever (Au...
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 23, 20258:25pending
What is the Oldest National Flag Still in Use? | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 22, 202...
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 22, 20256:24pending
How to Identify Greek and Roman Columns | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 21, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 21, 20255:41pending
The Real Doctor Who Inspired Sherlock Holmes | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 20, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 20, 20255:38pending
Why Do We Say “Close, But No Cigar”? | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 19, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 19, 20253:21pending
Why Do We Call It a Honeymoon? | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 18, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 18, 20253:36pending
The 1518 Dancing Plague: Real, Deadly, Unexplained? | Smartest Year Ever (Aug 17...
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 17, 20255:37pending
Did We Hear Aliens in 1977? The Truth About the Wow! Signal | Smartest Year Ever...
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 16, 20255:06pending
The Voynich Manuscript: The World's Most Mysterious Book | Smartest Year Ever (A...
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 15, 20258:17pending
Flor de la Mar: The Most Valuable Shipwreck Never Found
Smartest Year Ever
Aug 14, 20254:38pending
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