Why do we call it a honeymoon? Is it really about sweetness and romance… or something else entirely?

In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy digs into the surprisingly dark origins of a word we now associate with tropical getaways and towel swans. From 16th-century English proverbs to Victorian bridal tours, and a myth about mead and fertility, this short, punchy history will change how you see the term forever.

Along the way, we explore how language evolves—and how a term that once meant "love won’t last" became a multi-billion-dollar vacation industry. Honeymoon? More like poetic red flag.

Perfect for fans of etymology, folklore, relationship psychology, and anyone who enjoys being the most interesting person at brunch.

💡Like, comment, and share with someone who's ever said "we're still in the honeymoon phase..." 🎯New facts, daily. Stay curious.

Sources:

• Oxford University Press. (2025). Honeymoon, n. OED Online. https://www.oed.com
  

• Harper, D. (2025). Honeymoon. Online Etymology Dictionary. https://www.etymonline.com/word/honeymoon
  

• Heywood, J. (1546). A Dialogue Containing the Number in Effect of All the Proverbs in the English Tongue.
  

• McNeill, J. T. (1951). A History of the Cure of Souls. Harper & Row.
  

• Ayto, J. (1990). Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. Oxford University Press.
  

• Routh, J. (1976). The Victorian Honeymoon. David & Charles.
  

• Simpson, J. (2000). The Folklore of Weddings and Marriage. Batsford.
  

• #WordOrigins #LanguageHistory #HistoryFacts #weddingfacts #honeymoon #DailyFacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.

 In the sweltering summer of 1518, a woman stepped into the streets of Strasbourg—and began to dance. Within days, dozens joined her. By the end of the month, it was hundreds. They danced without music. Without rest. Some even danced to death.

In the final episode of Mystery Week, Gordy unpacks the chilling story of the Dancing Plague of 1518, one of the strangest historical outbreaks ever recorded. Was it mass hysteria? Ergot poisoning? Or something else entirely?

Backed by medical records, city archives, and centuries of speculation, this bizarre true story continues to baffle historians, neurologists, and psychologists alike. It’s a case study in human behavior, social contagion, and the blurry line between body and belief.

This isn’t a metaphor. It really happened. And the cause remains unsolved.

Sources:

• Waller, J. (2008). A Time to Dance, a Time to Die: The Extraordinary Story of the Dancing Plague of 1518. Icon Books.
  

• Bartholomew, R. (2009). Dancing Plagues and Mass Hysteria. The Psychologist, 22(5).
  

• Donaldson, L. J., Cavanagh, J., & Rankin, J. (1997). The dancing plague: a public health conundrum. Public Health, 111(4), 201–204.
  

• BBC. (2018). Why Did Hundreds of People Dance Themselves to Death?
  

• Smithsonian Magazine. The Dancing Plague of 1518.
  

#DancingPlague #StrangeHistory #UnexplainedEvents #MedicalMystery #ContagionPsychology #MassHysteria #1518 #SmartestYearEver #DailyFacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.

In 1977, a radio telescope in Ohio picked up a mysterious 72-second signal from deep space. It was so precise, so powerful, and so clean… a scientist literally wrote “Wow!” in the margins.

This is the Wow! Signal—one of the most puzzling and hotly debated moments in the history of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).

Could it have been a genuine alien transmission? Why haven’t we ever heard it again? And how close are we really to explaining it?

Gordy breaks down everything you need to know about this unrepeatable cosmic burst, the technology that detected it, the theories that followed, and the 2024 magnetar hypothesis that might finally unlock the mystery.

👉 Stick around for a breakdown that’s perfect for anyone fascinated by space mysteries, extraterrestrial life, radio astronomy, and the question we’re all still asking—are we alone?

Sources:

• Ehman, J. R. (1977). Ohio State University Radio Observatory.
  

• Gray, R. H. (2011). The Elusive Wow: Searching for Extraterrestrial Intelligence. Palmer Square Press.
  

• Paris, A. (2017). Hydrogen signal from comet 266/P Christensen as possible explanation for Wow! Signal. Journal of the Washington Academy of Sciences, 103(2), 22–37.
  

• SETI Institute. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.seti.org
  

• NASA Exoplanet Archive. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://exoplanets.nasa.gov
  

#space #wowSignal #dailyfacts #SETI #aliens #astronomy #Spacemysteries #unsolvedmysteries Music thanks to Zapsplat.

 What do you do with a book no one can read?

In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy unpacks the mystery of the Voynich Manuscript—a 600-year-old book filled with unknown script, impossible illustrations, and strange zodiac charts that have defied every attempt at decryption.

Discovered by rare book dealer Wilfrid Voynich in 1912, this artifact has since become the world’s most famous undeciphered manuscript. Experts from Alan Turing’s colleagues to modern AI models have tried to crack the code—but so far, it remains unsolved. It’s written in an unknown constructed language with statistically valid patterns—but with no clear meaning.

The Voynich Manuscript has been speculated to be a medieval hoax, a coded scientific treatise, or even a women’s health manual—but its real purpose, origin, and meaning remain unknown.

From Zipf’s Law to linguistic entropy, from naked women in green tubs to astrological wheels, this episode explores what we do know about this strange book—and why the mystery might be exactly the point.

Watch to see why the Voynich Manuscript is still one of the world’s most compelling puzzles.

Sources:

• Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library. (n.d.). Voynich Manuscript Digital Archive. Yale University. https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/collections/highlights/voynich-manuscript
  

• HolyBooks. (n.d.). Voynich Manuscript PDF. https://www.holybooks.com/wp-content/uploads/Voynich-Manuscript.pdf
  

• Kennedy, G., & Churchill, R. (2004). The Voynich Manuscript: An Elegant Enigma. Orion Books.
  

• Montemurro, M. A., & Zanette, D. H. (2013). Entropy and the Voynich Manuscript. PLOS ONE. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0066324
  

• The New Yorker. (2013). The Unread: The Mystery of the Voynich Manuscript.
  

• Ars Technica. (2020). AI Hasn’t Cracked the Voynich Manuscript—Here’s Why.
  

#VoynichManuscript #LinguisticMysteries #Cryptography #HistoryFacts #UnsolvedMysteries #DailyFacts #DidYouKnow #voynich #codebreaking Music thanks to Zapsplat.

In 1511, a towering Portuguese warship vanished in the Strait of Malacca, loaded with what might be the largest lost treasure in human history. Gold. Gemstones. Royal tributes. Priceless porcelain. All gone. For over 500 years, explorers, governments, and treasure hunters have searched for the Flor de la Mar, but her wreck has never been found.

In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy investigates the legend of the Flor de la Mar—from the sacking of Malacca to the modern-day legal and political fights over who owns whatever might still be buried beneath the sea. With estimated treasure values ranging from hundreds of millions to over $2 billion, the stakes are massive—and so is the mystery.

Why is this ship so hard to find? Who actually owns it if it is found? And why might it be the greatest treasure story of all time… if anyone can ever prove it exists?

Stick around to find out—because this one might just make you rethink everything you thought you knew about shipwrecks, maritime law, and underwater treasure.

Sources:

• Mearns, D. (2017). The Shipwreck Hunter. HarperCollins.
  

• Marx, R. F. (2004). Shipwrecks in the Americas. Dover Publications.
  

• Singh, R. D. (1988). The Flor de la Mar and the Portuguese Conquest of Malacca. Journal of the Malaysian Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society.
  

• UNESCO. (n.d.). Convention on the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage.
  

• National Geographic. (2024). The Hunt for the World’s Most Valuable Shipwreck.
  

• The Maritime Executive. (2023). Flor de la Mar: Lost Treasure of the Malacca Strait.
  

#shipwreckhistory #maritimemystery #SmartestYearEver #losttreasure #DailyFacts #shipwrecks #flordelamar #treasurehunters Music thanks to Zapsplat.

 What if you heard a constant low-frequency hum—but no one else could? In the early 1990s, residents of Taos, New Mexico, began reporting a strange auditory phenomenon. No one could find the source. No machines. No sounds on recording devices. Just a persistent, pulsing vibration that only a few people could hear—and it never went away.

Known as The Taos Hum, this mystery triggered a federal investigation, drew in scientists from Los Alamos National Lab, and led to a flurry of theories—ranging from low-frequency military signals to bioacoustic quirks of the human ear. And then it spread.

Similar hums were reported in England, Canada, New Zealand, and beyond. Could it be environmental? Neurological? Even biological sonar from mating fish?

Gordy investigates one of the most unsettling auditory mysteries on Earth—and why only 2% of people can hear it.

Sources:

• Deming, D. (2004). The Hum: An Anomalous Sound Heard Around the World. Journal of Scientific Exploration, 18(4), 571–595.
  

• National Public Radio. (2013). No One Knows What’s Causing The Windsor Hum.
  

• BBC News. (2011). The mystery of the worldwide hum.
  

• New York Times. (1993). Taos Residents Complain of a Mysterious Hum.
  

• Humenik, B. (2003). Kokomo Hum: Industrial Sources and Residual Reports. Indiana Environmental Department.
  

#TheHum #TaosHum #AuditoryPhenomenon #MysteryWeek #UnexplainedSounds #dailyfacts #mysterioussounds Music thanks to Zapsplat.

In 1828, a teenage boy materialized in the streets of Nuremberg, Germany—barely able to speak, walking like a child, and holding two strange letters.

He claimed he'd lived his whole life in isolation. But within a few years, he was stabbed under mysterious circumstances… and died.

To this day, no one knows who Kaspar Hauser really was.

Was he a lost prince, a psychological con artist, or a traumatized feral child raised in darkness?

This gripping episode explores one of the most baffling unsolved historical mysteries of all time—complete with secret notes, forged documents, and a death that still sparks controversy.

Perfect for fans of: 🕵️‍♂️ true historical mysteries 🧬 forensic science & DNA testing 🧠 psychological hoaxes and identity deceptions

Make sure to watch to the end—this one has layers.

Sources:

• Bondeson, J. (2006). The Great Pretenders: The True Stories Behind Famous Historical Mysteries. W. W. Norton & Company.
  

• Gill, C. (2003). “Kaspar Hauser: Europe’s Child of Mystery.” History Today, 53(11), 36–42.
  

• Forensic Science International. (2002). “Mitochondrial DNA analysis of a bone sample of Kaspar Hauser,” 126(3), 221–226.
  

• BBC News. (2002). “DNA test denies Kaspar Hauser’s royal roots.”
  

• Smithsonian Magazine. (2010). “The Mysterious Life and Death of Kaspar Hauser.”
  

#MysteryWeek #KasparHauser #HistoricalMystery #UnsolvedMystery #SmartestYearEver #DailyFacts Music thanks to Zapsplat.

 In 1872, a merchant brig called the Mary Celeste was found adrift in the Atlantic—intact, seaworthy, and completely deserted. The sails were set. The cargo was still onboard. The crew’s belongings, untouched. Food on the table. No distress signal, no signs of violence, no obvious damage—and no crew.

Gordy unpacks one of the most unsettling maritime mysteries of all time. Who was Captain Briggs? Why would an experienced crew abandon ship in calm weather? And what happened during those final 10 days that left one of the ocean’s strangest ghost stories behind?

You’ll learn about:

• The facts of the discovery and salvage hearing in Gibraltar
  

• The difference between the real story and Arthur Conan Doyle’s embellished myth
  

• Leading theories—from alcohol vapor explosions to rogue waves and faulty bilge pumps
  

• The ship’s final fate as a failed insurance fraud off the coast of Haiti
  

With no message in a bottle and no bodies ever found, the Mary Celeste remains one of the ocean’s great unresolved riddles—a real ghost ship that continues to haunt history.

Sources:

• Hicks, B. (2004). The Mary Celeste: An Unsolved Mystery from History. Simon & Schuster.
  

• Fay, H. (1959). The Mystery of the Mary Celeste and Other Great Sea Mysteries. Pyramid Books.
  

• Smithsonian Magazine. (2007). Abandoned Ship: The Mary Celeste.
  

• Begg, P. (2006). Mary Celeste: The Greatest Mystery of the Sea. Pearson Longman.
  

• U.S. National Archives. (1873). Official Inquiry into the Mary Celeste Salvage Case. Gibraltar Court Records.
  

#GhostShip #MaryCeleste #MaritimeMysteries #Unsolved #HistoryFacts #DailyFacts #DidYouKnow

Music thanks to Zapsplat.

Lobster à l’américaine was on the menu the night the Titanic sank. But ever since, an internet meme has circulated claiming the real survivors of the tragedy were the lobsters in the kitchen tanks, who supposedly escaped their boiling fate and now live at the bottom of the Atlantic.

Is that biologically possible? Could those lobsters have actually survived the sinking? Or would pressure, barotrauma, cold shock, or lack of oxygen have wiped them out instantly?

In today’s episode, Gordy breaks down deep sea pressure, marine biology, and a brutal dose of reality—separating dark humor from hard science. It’s a fascinating dive into what happens when shallow-water creatures are flushed into the abyss, and it all starts with a dinner menu from 1912.

A perfect watch for fans of the Titanic, marine science, or just bizarre hypotheticals with surprisingly intense answers.

Don’t forget to like, share, and subscribe—and leave a comment with your answer to the ultimate question: Would you rather be boiled alive or crushed by 12,500 feet of ocean pressure?

Sources

• NOAA Ocean Explorer. (n.d.). Life at Extreme Ocean Depths.
  

• Wahle, R.A., & Fogarty, M.J. (2006). American Lobster Biology. The Lobster Conservancy.
  

• Ballard, R.D. (1987). Exploring the Titanic: How the Greatest Ship Ever Lost Was Found.
  

• Macdonald, A.G. (1997). Barotrauma in Crustaceans. Marine Biology Review.
  

• Titanic Menu Archives. (n.d.). British Maritime Museum.
  

• National Oceanography Centre. (n.d.). Conditions at the Titanic Wreck Site.
  

#TitanicLobsters #MarineBiology #OceanDepths #WeirdFacts #SeaCreatures #titanic #lobsters Music thanks to Zapsplat.

On a remote, windswept island in the subantarctic Indian Ocean, an unexpected predator reigns supreme—not wolves, not seals, but feral house cats.

Welcome to the Kerguelen Islands, one of the most isolated landmasses on Earth. Originally introduced to control rodents, these domestic cats escaped human oversight and evolved into fierce hunters, preying on penguins, seabirds, and anything else that moved. What started as a pest control solution became an ecological disaster—and a haunting case study in invasive species gone wild.

In this episode of Smartest Year Ever, Gordy explores the wild rise of these apex cats, the devastating impact on native wildlife, and how biological invasions on remote islands like Kerguelen, Macquarie, and Marion have reshaped entire ecosystems.

It’s a jaw-dropping true story of cats vs. penguins, ecosystem collapse, and what happens when nature meets unintended consequences.

Topics include:

• Kerguelen Island and the “Desolation Islands”
  

• Feral cat overpopulation and invasive species
  

• Penguin and seabird population decline
  

• Failed eradication campaigns
  

• Global parallels in New Zealand, Marion Island, and Macquarie Island
  

If you’ve ever said “my cat could never survive in the wild”—you might want to rethink that.

Sources

• Chapuis, J.-L., et al. (2011). Eradication of feral cats on islands and biodiversity conservation: why the devil is in the detail. Biodiversity and Conservation, 20(5), 1147–1161.
  

• Pascal, M., et al. (2010). Biological invasions in French overseas territories: biodiversity and development. Revue d'Écologie, 65, 21–35.
  

• Bergstrom, D. M., et al. (2009). Indirect effects of invasive species removal devastate World Heritage Island. Journal of Applied Ecology, 46, 73–81.
  

• Russell, J. C., & Clout, M. N. (2004). Rodent incursions on New Zealand islands. Biological Invasions, 6, 277–281.
  

• National Science Foundation. (2008). Feral Cats Threaten Wildlife on Remote Islands. NSF Press Release.
  

#feralcats #invasivespecies #animalecology #penguins #ecologicaldisaster #dailyfacts #cats #housecats #kerguelenislands Music thanks to Zapsplat.