In 1841, William Henry Harrison made history twice — first for giving the longest inaugural address, and then for serving the shortest presidency in American history.
In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy unpacks how Harrison’s stubborn show of endurance turned into a national tragedy — and how his death led to one of the most important constitutional precedents ever set.
From his two-hour outdoor speech in freezing weather to his mysterious illness and the chaotic aftermath that followed, this story has everything: hubris, irony, and a power vacuum that nearly broke the presidency itself.
Harrison’s demise forced the country to answer a question it had never faced: What happens when a president dies in office? The answer came from John Tyler, the vice president who refused to stay “acting” and instead declared himself President of the United States, cementing a rule that still shapes the White House today.
Watch to discover how a 31-day presidency forever changed how America handles power, succession, and crisis.
Sources
Library of Congress. William Henry Harrison Papers.
National Archives. (n.d.). The Death of President Harrison.
Miller Center, University of Virginia. Life in Brief — William Henry Harrison.
Smithsonian Magazine. (2014). Did William Henry Harrison Really Die from His Inauguration?
U.S. National Constitution Center. Presidential Succession and the 25th Amendment.
Music thanks to Zapsplat.
#PresidentialFacts #USHistory #historyfacts #AmericanHistory #Presidents #DailyFacts #FunFacts #History #presidentharrison #williamhenryharrison #USPresidents #presidentfacts
James Buchanan holds one distinction no other U.S. president ever has — but it’s not one he celebrated. In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the story of America’s only bachelor president, diving into the mystery, heartbreak, and speculation that defined his personal life and presidency.
From his tragic engagement to Anne Coleman, to his lifelong bond with William Rufus King, and his niece Harriet Lane’s role as the “Democratic Queen” of Washington society — Buchanan’s life was full of secrets, symbolism, and scandal.
This episode uncovers how image, morality, and politics intertwined in 19th-century America, and how Buchanan’s solitude may have mirrored a nation on the verge of breaking apart.
Watch to learn why Buchanan remains one of the most controversial and enigmatic presidents in U.S. history.
Sources
National Park Service. James Buchanan National Historic Site.
Library of Congress. The James Buchanan Papers.
Klein, P. S. (1962). President James Buchanan: A Biography. Pennsylvania State University Press.
U.S. National Archives. Presidents of the United States: James Buchanan (1857–1861).
Smithsonian Magazine. (2019). James Buchanan’s Complicated Legacy.
Music thanks to Zapsplat.
#PresidentialFacts #USHistory #Historyfacts #AmericanHistory #Presidents #DailyFacts #FunFacts #History #JamesBuchanan #PresidentFacts
Before Herbert Hoover ever became president, he and his wife, Lou Henry Hoover, shared a secret most Americans didn’t know: They were fluent in Mandarin Chinese — and they used it inside the White House as a private code.
In this episode, Gordy explores how the Hoovers’ years living in China shaped their worldview — from the Boxer Rebellion to their habit of speaking Mandarin during sensitive conversations. Discover how a mining engineer and a Stanford-trained geologist became the only presidential couple fluent in Chinese, and how their time abroad transformed their understanding of global cooperation.
A story of intellect, adventure, and the most unexpected use of Mandarin in U.S. history. No days off. Smartest Year Ever.
Sources:
Library of Congress. Herbert Hoover Papers. Manuscript Division, Washington, D.C.
National Park Service. (2025). Herbert Hoover National Historic Site.
Hoover Institution Archives, Stanford University. Lou Henry Hoover Correspondence and Diaries.
Encyclopedia Britannica. (2025). Herbert Hoover.
PBS. American Experience: Herbert Hoover.
Brands, H. W. (2016). The Presidents: Herbert Hoover. Simon & Schuster.
#PresidentialHistory #USPresidents #AmericanHistory #DailyFacts #History #FunFacts #Presidents #Historyfacts #USHistoryfacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Before George Washington or Thomas Jefferson were ever called “Americans,” they were actually British subjects. So who was the first president born after independence — the first to be a true American from birth?
In this episode, Gordy dives into the life of Martin Van Buren, the first American-born president — and the only one who didn’t grow up speaking English as his first language. From his roots in a Dutch-speaking New York village to his rise as one of the nation’s most skilled political strategists, Van Buren’s story marks the turning point between the Revolutionary generation and a new American identity.
Discover how a man born in a tavern in Kinderhook, NY, helped shape modern party politics, earned the nickname “Old Kinderhook” (OK), and proved that being American has always been about more than where — or how — you were born.
No days off. Smartest Year Ever.
Sources:
Library of Congress. Martin Van Buren Papers. Manuscript Division, Washington, D.C.
National Park Service. (2025). Martin Van Buren: Eighth President of the United States.
U.S. National Archives. (2025). The Presidents of the United States of America: Martin Van Buren (1837–1841).
Encyclopedia Britannica. (2025). Martin Van Buren.
PBS. (2025). American Experience: The Presidents Collection – Martin Van Buren.
Millard, C. (2013). The American Presidents: The Lives of the 43 Chief Executives. Smithsonian Books.
#PresidentialHistory #USPresidents #AmericanHistory #FunFacts #DailyFacts #HistoryFacts #USHistory #Presidents #vanburen #martinvanburen Music thanks to Zapsplat.
For over 200 years, the White House has doubled as a political powerhouse and a makeshift zoo. In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy dives into the wild history of presidential pets—from George Washington’s hounds named Drunkard and Sweet Lips, to John Adams’s dog Satan, to Calvin Coolidge’s raccoon Rebecca, and even a hippopotamus on the White House lawn.
These weren’t just mascots—they shaped presidential images, headlines, and sometimes scandals. Discover which president defended his dog in a campaign speech, which one sparked outrage for mistreating his beagle, and which one received a Soviet space dog’s pup as a gift during the Cold War.
It’s a bizarre, hilarious, and surprisingly touching look at how animals have walked, flown, and occasionally bitten their way through American history.
Watch to find out which president had the most chaotic menagerie of all time—and what it says about life inside the most famous house in the world.
#PresidentialPets #USHistory #WhiteHouseFacts #DailyFacts #FunFacts #AmericanHistory #pets #animalfacts #Historyfacts #presidents #USPresidents #WeirdAnimals Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Sources
National Archives. (n.d.). Presidential Pets Through History.
Smithsonian National Museum of American History. (n.d.). White House Animal Encounters.
The Presidential Pet Museum. (n.d.). Presidential Pets Database. https://presidentialpetmuseum.com
National Geographic. (2013). When Presidents Had Tigers and Raccoons.
White House Historical Association. (n.d.). Presidential Pets Timeline.
When did photography first meet the presidency? In this episode, Gordy dives into the story of the first U.S. president ever photographed—a moment when early technology collided with American history. It’s a tale of daguerreotypes, mercury fumes, and one president who called his own portrait “hideous.”
From John Quincy Adams sitting perfectly still in 1843 to James K. Polk’s somber White House session a few years later, this episode explores how photography forever changed how power, authenticity, and legacy were seen. Discover how presidents went from painted perfection to captured reality—and how a cranky ex-president helped usher in a new era of visual history.
If you’ve ever wondered who the first photographed president was—or how 19th-century photo tech worked—this is a must-watch for history lovers, presidential trivia fans, and anyone fascinated by the intersection of art and innovation.
📸 The moment when politics first met the lens.
Music thanks to Zapsplat.
#HistoryFacts #USPresidents #PhotographyHistory #DailyFacts #AmericanHistory #UsHistory #presidents #presidentialfacts #JohnAdams #polk #DidYouKnow #PresidentialHistory
Sources
Adams, J. Q. (1843). Diary Entry, March 1843. Massachusetts Historical Society.
Library of Congress. (1849). James K. Polk Daguerreotype.
National Portrait Gallery. (1843). John Quincy Adams Daguerreotype by Philip Haas.
Newhall, B. (1982). The History of Photography: From 1839 to the Present.
Smithsonian Magazine. (2017). The First President Ever Photographed.
President William Howard Taft is remembered for one thing — and it’s not his presidency. For over a century, people have repeated the story that he got stuck in a bathtub. But is it true, or just one of history’s most persistent political myths?
In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy digs into the truth behind America’s most infamous presidential rumor. From custom White House bathtubs to the origins of the legend itself, you’ll learn how a story with no evidence managed to outlive the real man’s legacy.
Along the way, Gordy explores Taft’s remarkable appetite, his rivalry with Teddy Roosevelt, and the evolution of his image from President to Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. It’s a fascinating mix of politics, folklore, and media mythmaking — and a reminder that sometimes the punchlines outlive the policies.
If you love quirky presidential trivia, historical myths, or stories that make you rethink what you think you know about U.S. history, this one’s for you.
Sources
Allen, F. L. (1934). Since Yesterday. Harper & Brothers.
National Archives. (1909). “President William Howard Taft’s Custom Bathtub.” Photo Collection.
Smithsonian Magazine. (2014). “Did William Howard Taft Really Get Stuck in a Bathtub?”
Politico History Department. (2018, Feb). “The Truth About Taft’s Tub.”
Taft, W. H. (1914). Our Chief Magistrate and His Powers.
#PresidentialFacts #HistoryMyths #USPresidents #WilliamHowardTaft #FunFacts #SmartestYearEver #DailyFacts #Taft #PresidentFacts #HistoryFacts #USHistory #USHistoryFacts #americanHistory Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Tennis is one of the world’s most elegant sports—and one of the weirdest when it comes to scoring. Why does it go love, 15, 30, 40 instead of 1, 2, 3, 4? Gordy dives into the strange history of tennis scoring, tracing it back to medieval France, the origins of jeu de paume, and the centuries-old quirks that shaped the modern game.
This episode explores theories about how tennis scoring might have evolved—from the clock-face system to betting units in deniers, to even court geometry—and why none of them fully add up. Discover how Henry VIII helped popularize the sport, how “love” might come from the French l’œuf (meaning “egg”), and how “deuce” comes from deux, meaning “two.”
By the end, you’ll see how tennis’s strange math isn’t a mistake—it’s a living linguistic fossil, carried through centuries of aristocratic leisure, international expansion, and linguistic confusion. It may make no sense, but it’s survived for 700 years for a reason.
#Tennis #SportsHistory #LanguageFacts #DailyFacts #FunFacts #sportsfacts #tennisfacts #funfacts #historyfacts #dailyfacts #didyouknow
Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Sources:
Gillmeister, H. (1998). Tennis: A Cultural History. Leicester University Press.
International Tennis Federation. (n.d.). History of the Game.
Oxford English Dictionary. Entries for “love” (score), “deuce.”
Harris, I. L. (2020). “Possible Origins of the Tennis Scoring System.” IanLouisHarris.com.
Van Alen, J. (1967). The Rules of the Tiebreaker.
Major, J. (2012). More Than a Game: The Story of Lawn Tennis. HarperCollins.
Placebo Buttons Are Everywhere! | Smartest Year Ever (Nov 15, 2025)
In this episode, Gordy explores the world of placebo buttons — those everyday controls that look functional but don’t actually do anything. From elevator “Close Door” buttons that don’t close doors, to crosswalk signals that don’t change lights, to office thermostats that don’t control temperature — these fake controls are everywhere, quietly shaping our behavior.
This episode dives deep into the illusion of control, a powerful psychological bias that makes us feel more at ease when we think we’re influencing events. Even when that button press changes nothing, it gives us a sense of agency — something our brains crave in uncertain situations.
It’s a fascinating look at how psychology, design, and automation intersect to keep us calm and compliant in modern life. So next time you jab a crosswalk button or mash “Close Door,” ask yourself — who’s really in control?
#PsychologyFacts #DailyFacts #HumanBehavior #ScienceExplained #placebos #placebobuttons #BehavioralScience #psychology #funfacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Sources:
CBS News. (2017). Door Close Buttons on Most Elevators Don’t Actually Work.
Mental Floss. (2019). Do Close-Door Buttons in Elevators Actually Work?
HowStuffWorks. (2021). Are Crosswalk and Elevator “Close Door” Buttons a Total Sham?
99% Invisible. (2015). User Illusion: Everyday ‘Placebo Buttons’ Create Semblance of Control.
Psychological Science. (2016). The Illusion of Control and Human Decision-Making.
Before modern genetic engineering, humans were already changing the DNA of plants — just one harvest at a time. Every apple, banana, peach, and carrot on your plate is the result of thousands of years of selective breeding — evolution powered by appetite.
In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores what fruits and vegetables looked like before humans domesticated them — from the scraggly grass ancestor of corn (teosinte) to the seed-filled wild banana, the cherry-sized peach, and the thorny, white eggplant. It’s a journey through agricultural history, plant evolution, and the science of domestication — showing how early farmers used selective pressure long before CRISPR or GMOs ever existed.
This fascinating story blends botany, archaeology, and anthropology — revealing how human taste reshaped nature itself. The episode even explains how a watermelon’s red flesh is technically a plant’s placenta (yes, really), and how political pride helped give us orange carrots in the Netherlands.
So before you take your next bite, consider this: almost every fruit and vegetable we eat is a human invention, sculpted over millennia for sweetness, color, and yield.
Watch the full episode to see the unbelievable before-and-after images — and learn just how much we’ve changed the natural world.
#FoodHistory #Evolution #Agriculture #SelectiveBreeding #PlantScience #NatureFacts #DailyFacts #fruits #vegetables #agriculturefacts #funfacts #sciencefacts #food #foodfacts
Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Smithsonian Magazine. (2018). What Fruits and Vegetables Looked Like Before Humans Domesticated Them.
The Independent. (2018). What Fruits and Vegetables Looked Like Before Humans Started Growing Them.
Kennedy, J. (2013). Natural vs. Artificial Food Infographics.
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). History of Crop Domestication.
U.S. Department of Agriculture (2020). History of Agricultural Plant Breeding.
Fuller, D. Q. (2018). Annual Review of Plant Biology.
Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Sources
In 1942, as World War II raged overseas, America launched one of the most unusual recruitment drives in history — a nationwide call for family pets. Citizens were asked to “lend” their dogs to the military to help the war effort. The campaign, called Dogs for Defense, turned ordinary pets into trained soldiers: bomb sniffers, messengers, sled dogs, and sentries.
Gordy dives into the fascinating, often emotional story behind America’s World War II War Dog Program — how it started, which breeds were drafted, where they trained, and what happened when they came home. From Fort Robinson to Camp Rimini, you’ll hear how beloved pets became heroes — and why this forgotten program changed modern military K-9 units forever.
If you love military history, WWII stories, or incredible animals that shaped the world, this is one you won’t forget.
So… would you send your dog to war?
#WorldWarII #MilitaryHistory #WarDogs #DogFacts #USArmy #HistoryFacts #UShistory #AmericanHistory #funfacts #ww2 #animalfacts #DailyFacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Sources:
American Kennel Club Archives. (1942–1945). Dogs for Defense, Inc. Records.
Library of Congress Veterans History Project. (n.d.). War Dogs of World War II.
National WWII Museum. (2018, February). When Dogs Went to War.
Rosenbaum, R. (1989). War Dogs: A History of Loyalty and Heroism. St. Martin’s Press.
Smithsonian Magazine. (2020, March). Dogs for Defense: America’s Canine Soldiers of WWII.
U.S. Army Quartermaster Museum. (n.d.). War Dog Program: The K-9 Corps in World War II.
U.S. War Department. (1943). FM 20-20: War Dogs. Washington, D.C.
Office of the Quartermaster General. (1945). The Procurement and Training of Military Dogs. Washington, D.C.
When did people start calling it World War I—and who decided to start numbering the wars in the first place?
In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy traces the fascinating evolution of how humanity labeled its greatest conflicts. From the “Great War” and President Woodrow Wilson’s call to name it “The World War,” to early 1930s editorials predicting a “World War No. 2,” this episode explores how language, history, and tragedy intertwined.
Discover when newspapers like the Manchester Guardian first used “World War No. 2,” how TIME Magazine helped cement the naming convention, and why governments and historians officially adopted “World War I” and “World War II” after 1945.
It’s a story of how optimism turned into inevitability—and how a phrase meant to capture the scope of one war had to be expanded to fit another.
So when did “The Great War” become “World War One”? Find out how the world ended up numbering its darkest chapters.
#HistoryFacts #WorldWarI #WorldWarII #GreatWar #WWI #WWII #MilitaryHistory #LanguageHistory #Etymology #DailyFacts #WorldHistory Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Sources:
BBC History. (2018). When the Great War Became World War One.
History.com. (2020). Were They Always Called World War I and World War II? The History Channel.
Manchester Guardian Archives. (1919, February). World War No. 2.
TIME Magazine. (1939, June & September). World War I and II Terminology.
U.S. National Archives. (2014). How and When Did World War II Officially Become World War II? The Text Message Blog.
U.S. War Department. (1919, October 7). General Orders No. 115.
On November 11, 1918, the First World War officially ended. But one soldier—Henry Nicholas John Gunther—was killed just one minute before peace began.
In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy unravels one of the most haunting and symbolic stories in military history: the last soldier to die in World War I. Discover how an American bank clerk from Baltimore, demoted for a misunderstood letter home, made a final desperate charge toward a German machine-gun nest after the Armistice had already been signed.
This story isn’t just about one man’s death—it’s about the tragic inertia of war, the moments when history refuses to stop on cue, and the human need to find meaning in chaos. If you’re fascinated by World War I history, the Armistice of 1918, or untold wartime stories, this one will stay with you long after the last gun falls silent.
#HistoryFacts #WWI #MilitaryHistory #SmartestYearEver #DailyFacts #MilitaryFacts #VeteransDay #ArmisticeDay Music thanks to Zapsplat.
U.S. National Archives. (2018). Last American Killed in World War I. Prologue Magazine.
History.com Editors. (2018, November 11). The Last American Killed in World War I. History Channel.
TIME Magazine. (2018, November 11). How the Last U.S. Soldier Killed in World War I Died at 10:59 a.m.
Coffee or Die Magazine. (2020). The Last American Killed in the Great War.
U.S. Army Center of Military History. (1918). World War I Armistice Records.
🪖 SourcesBBC History Extra. (2018). The Final Day of the First World War.
In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy unpacks the strange moment in American history when Veterans Day was moved to October—and why that decision quickly backfired. This isn’t just a quirky scheduling fact. It’s a revealing look at how Congress, symbolism, and civic tradition collided over the meaning of a national holiday.
From the Uniform Monday Holiday Act of 1968 to the public backlash that forced Congress to reverse course in 1975, this episode dives into how one of America’s most sacred observances nearly became a long weekend footnote. Gordy breaks down the politics, public outrage, and powerful symbolism behind the date that marks the end of World War I—and how veterans themselves led the charge to bring it back where it belonged: November 11.
Perfect for history buffs, civics nerds, or anyone curious how a simple calendar tweak turned into a nationwide revolt.
Stay curious, stay clever—on our quest to become the World’s Greatest Conversationalists.
Sources:
Johnson, L. B. (1968). Statement by the President Upon Signing the Uniform Holiday Bill. The American Presidency Project, University of California, Santa Barbara.
U.S. Congress. (1968). Uniform Monday Holiday Act, Pub. L. 90-363, 82 Stat. 250.
U.S. Congress. (1975). Veterans Day (Restoration to November 11), Pub. L. 94-97, 89 Stat. 479.
Library of Congress. (2013). Armistice Day / Veterans Day. Law Library of Congress Blog.
National Constitution Center. (2016). How Americans Fought to Restore Veterans Day to November 11.
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (n.d.). The History of Veterans Day. VA History Office.
U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian. (n.d.). Veterans Day Returns to November 11.
#VeteransDay #HistoryFacts #USHistory #Holidays #holidayfacts #calendarFacts #DailyFacts #WW1facts #funfacts #didyouknow #uniformmondayholidayact
Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Why does Canada have a Polar Bear Jail? In Churchill, Manitoba, one of the coldest, most remote towns on Earth, the locals have a uniquely Canadian solution to an Arctic problem. When polar bears wander into town — and they do, a lot — they don’t call animal control. They call Polar Bear Alert.
In this episode, Gordy uncovers the fascinating story of Churchill’s Polar Bear Holding Facility, a real-life “jail” where captured bears wait out the melt season before being airlifted back to the wild. It’s a mix of wildlife conservation, northern survival, and cold-climate bureaucracy that could only exist in Canada.
From tranquilizer traps and helicopter releases, to how climate change is pushing more bears inland every year, this is one of the strangest and most ingenious wildlife management stories in the world.
Discover how Churchill became the “Polar Bear Capital of the World,” why its residents live under “bear warnings,” and how a town of 900 people learned to coexist with some of the planet’s most dangerous predators — using compassion, innovation, and an old airplane hangar.
So why does Canada have a Polar Bear Jail? Let’s just say…it’s one of those stories that’s too Canadian not to be true.
Sources:
Manitoba Conservation and Climate. (2023). Polar Bear Alert Program Overview.
Polar Bears International. (2023). Churchill Polar Bear Alert Program Factsheet.
Canadian Geographic. (2019). Churchill’s Polar Bear Jail.
National Geographic. (2020). The Town That Lives with Polar Bears.
CBC Archives. (2021). A Look Inside Churchill’s Polar Bear Jail.
#PolarBears #WildlifeConservation #Canada #ClimateChange #DailyFacts #ChurchillManitoba #FunFacts #animalfacts #polarbearjail #Bearfacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.
The Michelin Man isn’t just a goofy mascot made of tires — he’s part of one of the most unexpected branding stories in history. Gordy digs into the strange evolution of Bibendum, the white tire man who started out as a cigar-smoking, glass-drinking Victorian nightmare before becoming the friendly icon we know today.
This episode traces how the Michelin brothers, Édouard and André, turned a tire company into a global authority on fine dining. From the birth of the Michelin Guide in 1900 to the modern Michelin Stars awarded to top chefs, this is a story of genius marketing, industrial innovation, and one of the best corporate rebrands of all time.
Learn how the Bib Gourmand got its name, why early tires were white instead of black, and how a stack of tires at a trade fair changed both automotive history and restaurant culture forever.
So, who really is the Michelin Man—and how did he go from rubber to roux?
#MichelinMan #History #MarketingHistory #bibendum #Marketing #BrandHistory #FoodHistory #DailyFacts #Michelin #michelinstars #michelinguide #brandmascots Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Sources:
Michelin Group Heritage Archive. (n.d.). The History of Bibendum. Michelin.com.
Musée Michelin. (n.d.). Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Rossillon, M. (O’Galop). (1898). Nunc est bibendum. Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Michelin Guide. (n.d.). Our History. Michelin.com.
Freedman, P. (2016). Ten Restaurants That Changed America. W. W. Norton & Company.
Ever stared at the bright sky and noticed tiny floating dots or squiggly strands drifting across your vision? In today’s episode, Gordy dives into one of the most common — and misunderstood — visual quirks: eye floaters.
They’ve been described since Leonardo da Vinci’s notebooks, feared as insects by early physicians, and are now understood through the science of posterior vitreous detachment — the process behind those mysterious shapes you sometimes see floating across your eyes.
In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, you’ll learn:
What causes eye floaters and how they form inside the vitreous humor.
Why they move when your eyes move (and why the effect is delayed).
How aging changes the structure of your eyes, and when to take floaters seriously.
The fascinating history of muscae volitantes, or “flying flies,” as they were once called.
Why your own brain quietly edits them out over time — like visual tinnitus.
This episode blends ophthalmology, history, and human biology into a fascinating look at how our eyes — and minds — perceive reality.
So next time you catch something drifting across your vision, you’ll know it’s not a ghost, not a bug — it’s you.
Sources
American Academy of Ophthalmology. (2024). What Are Eye Floaters and Flashes?
National Eye Institute. (2023). Facts About Floaters.
Gass, J.D.M. (1997). Stereoscopic Atlas of Macular Diseases, Vol. 1.
Da Vinci, L. (ca. 1508). Notebooks, Codex Atlanticus.
Ophthalmology Times. (2021). Laser Vitreolysis: When to Treat Floaters.
#EyeFloaters #VisionScience #HealthFacts #DailyFacts #EyeHealth #MedicalFacts #funfacts #floaters Music thanks to Zapsplat.
At the core of modern timekeeping lies a surprising hero: quartz. In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy breaks down how a simple crystal became the heartbeat of nearly every watch, clock, and computer on Earth.
Discover the science behind the quartz revolution—from the piezoelectric effect discovered by the Curie brothers, to how Seiko’s 1969 Astron transformed the watch industry forever. Learn why quartz vibrates at exactly 32,768 times per second, and how that rhythmic hum keeps your watch so precise that it only drifts a few seconds per month.
Gordy also dives into the Quartz Crisis, when mechanical watchmakers faced extinction at the hands of battery-powered precision. It’s a story of physics, innovation, and a rock that changed time itself.
Watch till the end to find out why quartz—not diamonds—might just be time’s true best friend.
#Quartz #ScienceFacts #Watchmaking #Physics #Watches #timekeeping #physicsfacts #crystals Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Sources:
Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History. Quartz Clocks and the Quartz Revolution.
Marrison, W.A., & Horton, J.W. (1927). The Precision of Quartz Crystal Oscillators. Bell Telephone Laboratories Technical Journal.
Seiko Museum Tokyo. History of the Seiko Astron (1969).
Encyclopaedia Britannica. Piezoelectricity.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Quartz Oscillators and Frequency Standards.
At the University of Queensland, a small glass funnel has been “dripping” since 1927. But what’s dripping isn’t water — it’s pitch, a tar-like substance so thick it takes years for a single drop to fall. Known as the Pitch Drop Experiment, it’s officially recognized by Guinness World Records as the longest-running laboratory experiment in history.
Physicist Thomas Parnell started it nearly a century ago to prove that some solids are actually liquids that flow extremely slowly. Since then, it’s been a saga of missed moments, camera failures, and scientific patience — a study in viscosity that moves at the pace of geological time.
Gordy unpacks the full story of this mesmerizing experiment that’s still running today, producing roughly one drop every decade. From Parnell’s original setup in 1927 to the moment a professor’s shaky hand accidentally triggered a long-awaited drop, this is the strangest cliffhanger in science — and one that’s still teaching us the quiet power of patience.
If you think science can’t be dramatic, wait until you meet a liquid that takes 13 years to fall.
Music thanks to Zapsplat.
#ScienceFacts #WeirdScience #PhysicsExperiments #SlowestExperiment #ScienceHistory #DailyFacts #pitchdropexperiment #pitchdrop #physics #experiments #scienceexperiment
Sources:
University of Queensland. (n.d.). The Pitch Drop Experiment. https://smp.uq.edu.au/pitch-drop-experiment
Guinness World Records. (n.d.). Longest-running laboratory experiment.
The Conversation. (2023). World’s longest-running experiment continues to drip.
Trinity College Dublin Physics Department. (n.d.). The Pitch Drop Experiment at Trinity.
Parnell, T. (1930). Original Laboratory Records, University of Queensland Archives.
The Tenth Watch (n.d.). Official Livestream Feed of the Queensland Pitch Drop. http://thetenthwatch.com/feed/
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 dramas, discover how parallel development, industry gossip, and herd behavior make Hollywood’s strangest coincidences almost inevitable.
If you’ve ever thought, “Didn’t I already see this movie?” — this episode will finally explain why.
#HollywoodHistory #FilmFacts #MovieTrivia #CinemaHistory #EntertainmentIndustry #moviefacts #twinfilms #hollywood #moviemaking #productioncompanies Music thanks to Zapsplat.
Sources:
Purcell, E. (2020). Why Do We Have Twin Films? Counter Arts (Medium).
The Guardian. (2017). Why Hollywood Keeps Making Twin Films.
Variety. (1998). Armageddon vs Deep Impact: The Battle for Earth.
The Hollywood Reporter. (2006). Magician Movies Square Off.
Box Office Mojo. (2024). Financial Data for Armageddon, Deep Impact, Antz, A Bug’s Life, The Prestige, The Illusionist, Olympus Has Fallen, White House Down.