So this list does not exist, never has, never will exist.
2nd Edition of The Whole Chile Pepper Book
In 1990, nobody except Trinidadians knew anything about superhot peppers, for example.
2018 End of the Year Report
As far as reading goes, 2018 was a great year for natural history books, and my two favorites were The Eye of the Shoal by Helen Scales and The Revolutionary Genius of Plants, by Stefano Mancuso.
My Alma Mater Turns 200
Since we weren’t allowed to have cars on campus, we had to hitchhike or take the bus or train hundreds of miles to take a gal to dinner.