Usually, bonus episodes like this are exclusively for Smarty Pass subscribers but this month we’re sharing them with all our listeners. If you like this bonus episode and want to hear fun games every month, plus ad-free episodes, sign up for Smarty Pass!Forever Ago host Joy Dolo is producing the greatest film ever made: her life story! The only problem is her friend and script editor Molly Bloom has a few questions about Joy’s story. When did Joy graduate from college? When did she get glasses? When did she start performing improv? There’s only one real way to get to the answers Molly needs and that’s with a game of First Things First!To get more bonus episodes like this every month, sign up for Smarty Pass at SmartyPass.org.

2024 is an election year, where Americans will vote for a new president. Join Joy and co-host to Em as they learn all about what it takes to be President, and hear about Shirley Chisholm, a trailblazer who was the first Black woman ever to run for the office. Plus, a brand new game of First Things First!This episode was sponsored by:Greenlight - Help your kids learn to earn, save, spend wisely, and invest with Greenlight, the debit card and money app for teens. Visit Greenlight.com/inclined.Goodie Witch Books - Combine the spirit of Halloween with the magic of giving with Goodie Witch!: Spreading the Magic of Kindness, available at Amazon.

Joy’s ready for some Halloweeny fun, but her jack-o’-lantern pal Lionel wants to skip the whole thing. He doesn’t understand why carving pumpkins is such an important Halloween tradition! Why don’t we just paint faces on bananas and call it a day?Lucky for Lionel, Joy and co-host Baron are ready to explain the twisty history of jack-o’-lanterns! First, they’ll wade into the history of ignus fatuus, a mysterious blue light seen in bogs at night and the creepy myth it inspired! Then they’ll explore pumpkin pranks in early America and learn how carving pumpkins came to be associated with Halloween. All that, plus a sweet new First Things First featuring Halloween candy!This episode was sponsored by:Greenlight-Help your kids learn to earn, save, spend wisely, and invest with Greenlight, the debit card and money app for teens. Visit Greenlight.com/inclined.Wild Interest-Let your kids' imaginations run wild and check out the new podcast Wild Interest wherever you get your podcasts. wildinterest.com.Goodie Witch Books-Combine the spirit of Halloween with the magic of giving with Goodie Witch!: Spreading the Magic of Kindness, available at Amazon.

Joy has a top secret message to deliver. There’s just one problem– she’s locked outside without her computer or phone! How will she send her VERY important message?Join Joy and co-host Cassandra as they explore the different ways people sent messages in the past, from smoke signals to trained pigeons. Plus, how the U.S. Postal Service started as a secret way to smack talk the British during the American Revolution. Signed, sealed, delivered, with a fresh round of First Things First!Today’s episode is sponsored by:Wild Interest - Let your kids' imaginations run wild and check out the new podcast Wild Interest wherever you get your podcasts. wildinterest.comGoodie Witch!: Spreading the Magic of Kindness - Combine the spirit of Halloween with the magic of giving with Goodie Witch!: Spreading the Magic of Kindness, available at Amazon.

Joy and Anna are amped to go on a fun road trip! And with a garage full of transportation options nothing is gonna stop them from hitting the road. Grab your smarty pass to see what they use for their ragin road trip!

We’re back with part two of our string-tastic story of the banjo! In the last episode, musician Rhiannon Giddens helped tell the origin story of the banjo, an instrument many think of as American. But it actually comes from Africa. Today, we’re focusing on how the banjo went from an instrument played mostly by enslaved people to one of the most popular instruments in the United States. The reason for this was a popular form of entertainment in the mid to late 1800s called minstrel shows. Later on, the banjo helped create the genre known as bluegrass. Now it's having a resurgence thanks to artists like Beyoncé.Featured expert: Rhiannon Giddens is a Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist. You can check out her website here!

This summer it’s the 2024 Olympic games! In honor of this sporty season, Forever Ago host Joy Dolo quizzes producers Rosie duPont and Anna Weggel all about Olympic games of the past.

Today’s episode has a lot of pluck! It’s all about the banjo. For over 100 years, the banjo has been associated with country and bluegrass music, two genres that over-index with white musicians. But, with the help of Rhiannon Giddens, we find out that this uniquely American instrument traveled from Africa. The banjo’s story is so rich, it can’t be contained in just one episode, so we decided to make two! We’re also going to string you along for an extra week to think about your answers to First Things First. The question comes in this episode, and the answer comes out in the next. No peeking!Featured expert: Rhiannon Giddens is a Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist. You can check out her website here!Resources: REDLINING IN COUNTRY MUSIC: Representation in the Country Music Industry (2000-2020)

Uh oh! Joy picked up a free plant from a Buy Nothing group that can speak sign language and perform tricks. The bad news? It’s creating a jungle inside the Forever Ago studio! Join Joy and co-host Cora as they get to know their new “totally normal” plant friend and explore the history of another truly amazing plant: the orchid! Orchids are some of the most stunning flowering plants on the planet. Their blossoms come in almost every color of the rainbow and tons of different shapes, from little ballerinas to smiling monkey faces. And around 200 years ago, orchids caused a wild craze in England – full of danger, tough guys, and lots and lots of money. All that, plus a new First Things First that’s truly unbeLEAFable! 

The cat's out of the bag!  We’re back with a brand new episode, and we didn’t cut any corners!  This one is all about idioms, those funny expressions that don’t make sense until you know what they’re supposed to mean, like "steal my thunder" or "it's raining cats and dogs." Join Joy and co-host Zyah to learn all about the history behind some of the most common idioms in English. Plus, a brand new game where you'll get the chance to guess the meaning of an idiom in another language!