Smartest Year Ever

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.