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.
Episodes (399)
Why Do We Knock on Wood? | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 25, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Tetris as Trauma Therapy | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 24, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Why Swiss Cheese Has Holes | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 23, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
When Pirates Were Legal | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 22, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
DEFCON Levels Explained | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 21, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
The Earliest Alarm Clocks | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 20, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
The History of Last Names as Professions | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 19, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Half-Staff vs. Half-Mast: Flag Facts Demystified | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 18, 2...
Smartest Year Ever
The Great Emu War | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 17, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Carotenoids and Your Attractiveness | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 16, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Why Do Fingers Wrinkle in Water? | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 15, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
The Idea Behind Pokémon | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 14, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
How Low Can You Orbit? | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 13, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
"The Real McCoy"? | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 12, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Grapes Under the Table: A New Year’s Ritual | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 11, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Why Wine Bottles Have Punts | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 10, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
The Smell of Cut Grass: A Plant’s SOS | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 9, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Tomatoes in Italian Cuisine: A Modern Love Story | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 8, 20...
Smartest Year Ever
Why 555 Became Hollywood’s Fake Number | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 7, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Mona Lisa Stolen | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 6, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Who IS the Mona Lisa? | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 5, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
In the Limelight | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 4, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Time Zones | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 3, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Can Pets Catch Yawns? | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 2, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever
Year One | Smartest Year Ever (Jan 1, 2025)
Smartest Year Ever