What made you smile today?
A question with no wrong answer, which is why it was chosen. It went to a campus in Nigeria, a queue outside a live show in Denver, and a freestyle cipher on the corner of Santa Fe on a First Friday.
The contributor who put it in Nigeria noticed something while asking it, and said so on camera: every single person smiled before they answered. The question does something to the person before they have said anything.
Browse the archive Projects, Where we filmed, Topics, Contributors, One question, The library
Who answered, and what did they say?
These are the speakers’ own words, as they said them. We have not checked their claims.
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Length 9:03
His mother.
“My mom.”
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Length 9:03
Being alive.
“I’m alive, of course. … alive, healthy, strong”
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Length 20:14
A concert on Monday.
“On Monday, I went to an FKA Twigs concert.”
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Length 20:14
The Artemis launch.
“The Artemis launch. It was really cool. … We’re going around the moon.”
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Length 19:15
Making art with his friends.
“Just make an art with my friends while we’re out here.”
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Length 19:15
Denver.
“It’s my first time in Denver. Denver made me smile.”
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Length 3:03
A niece and nephew on Zoom.
“I’ve been in Denver five weeks, I came out here for a conference, and I’m going back home on Thursday. and I’m excited to see my niece and nephew.”
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Length 9:11
Being helped, as a newcomer.
“Soy nuevo por esta zona y es agradable pues es agradable que se sonrió uno porque de alegría, de ayuda”
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Length 5:42
Tulips are in bloom.
“tulips are in bloom”
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Length 1:35
A bookcase built, and every book organized.
“I built a bookcase today and organized all my books, which is nice, including my apartment.”
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Length 1:32
Exploring a city that is the complete opposite of home.
“Exploring the city, because I’m not from Denver, so I came from out of state and I’m just exploring downtown. It’s been pretty fun.”
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Length 2:20
Taking the dogs to the park to run.
“allowing them to run around. That actually really made me smile.”
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Length 5:02
A rough week at work, put down in front of a canvas.
“I had kind of a rough week at work and coming here and just kind of letting that all go, losing myself in the painting and getting to share with everybody, kind of talk to new people just brings warmth to my heart.”
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Length 5:28
Home from school in Nebraska, back with the same guys since kindergarten.
“I think that this is the happiest that I am, is at home with my family”
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Length 3:39
Friends, and the sun back for longer days.
“I’d say my friends. Yeah, they’ve always made me smile this whole entire week and I’m truly blessed.”
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Length 2:50
On top of a desert tower in Moab.
“I got to climb Castleton Tower and just standing on top of a desert tower with the wind whipping through my bald hair um was a joy.”
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Length 6:51
Dogs. Almost every time.
“my instant thought goes right to animals, just like dogs. Like pretty much every time I see a dog I smile.”
What else has the archive asked?
- What is the most important global issue today? 14
- Is the internet good for us? 11
- What is Ethereum? 10
- What do you think of the United States? 13
- How has the place you live changed in your lifetime? 8
- Do you have a message for the builders? 9
- What would you say to someone under ten? 12
- If you could ask people around the world one question, what would you ask them? 32
Every answer on these pages is a quote checked against the transcript of the video it came from. To put a question to your own street, see One Question. To find a word across every transcript, search.