Podcast
Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
Hosted by Pushkin Industries · EN
We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.
120episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Arsenic and Lace: The Trial of the Yorkshire Witch - with Maddy Pelling
6d ago00:43:31Summary readyMary Bateman lived in Yorkshire in the late 18th Century, an age that prized rational thought. Many people still longed to believe in the old ways and Bateman used this to her advantage, selling spells and enchantments to the desperate. Dr Maddy Pelling, co-host of the After Dark podcast and author of Hoax: Truth and Lies in the Age of Enlightenment, joins Tim to tell the tale of the villainous Yorkshire Witch, and just how far she was willing to go. For the sources, see the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryThe Doors of Death: The Herald of Free Enterprise
2w ago00:37:48Summary readyThe Herald of Free Enterprise is a new class of ferry that allows cars to drive directly into the ship. The doors must be closed before every departure, or the ship sails with a gaping hole at one end. One black night in 1987, on the freezing waters off Zebrugge, Belgium, a single crew member falls asleep at the worst possible time. For the sources, see the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Summary"What a Bloody Mess we're in" - Britain's [REDACTED] Accident
3w ago00:40:32Summary readyWindscale is supposed to be Britain's big leap into the nuclear age, bringing science fiction to life in 1950s Northern England. But in the race to catch up with America's nuclear program, scientists are tinkering with forces they don't fully understand. When the reactor catches fire, no-one knows how bad it could be, or how to put it out. As the reactor workers scramble to save lives, other eyes on Windscale are much more concerned with containing the political fallout and burying the truth. See the show notes at timharford.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryAttack of the Night People
4w ago00:40:43Summary readyIf you tuned in to late-night WOR radio in 1950s New York, you'd enter the secret world of Jean Shepherd. Shepherd's nonconformist style, off-beat humor and love of pranks gathered a small but loyal following. These "Night People" loved being in on the joke, while the oblivious "Day People" were often the butt of it. Shepherd's show is long gone, but his spirit lives on in corners of the internet. Today, though, Night People go by a different name. For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryLIVE: We Are Not Machines - with Sarah O'Connor
Jul 300:41:40Summary readyWhen the Luddites smashed factory frames in a bid to defend their craft and livelihoods, the machines came out on top. Today, AI and automation threaten to wipe out skilled jobs and flood us with inferior products at a fraction of the price: is history going to repeat itself? FT journalist and author of We Are Not Machines Sarah O'Connor joins Tim to discuss her findings from the front lines about the future of work. Which professions are most at risk, and is there anything workers can do about it? See the show notes at TimHarford.com Sarah's book, "We Are Not Machines: The Fight for the Future of Work", is available here (UK) and for pre-order here (US). See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryTreacle Tears: The Boston Molasses Disaster
Jun 2600:41:14Summary readyThe children of North End, Boston, play in the shadow of an enormous steel tank of molasses. The thick, sticky sugar syrup is being used to make munitions for the First World War. When a worker notices dark molasses seeping from the tank he warns the company that there could be a leak. But the man in charge, Arthur Jell, has more important things to worry about: schedules to meet and profits to make. Besides, it's only sugar. How dangerous could it be? For the sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryThe Thief, the Jewels, and the Dublin Castle Conspiracy
Jun 1900:42:24Summary readyIn the early 1900s, Sir Arthur Vickers keeps the magnificent Irish Crown Jewels safe under lock and key at Dublin Castle. When the jewels disappear, the King rages, the police investigate, and even Sir Arthur Conan Doyle gets involved. No one is ever charged and no jewels are ever recovered. Except, we have a very good idea of who took them, and why the truth has stayed buried. For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryThe Dunning Canoe-ger Effect
Jun 1200:40:19Summary readyWhen John Darwin walks into a shop in London, it causes an instant stir. After all, John Darwin has been dead for five years. He claims to have amnesia, but everyone - from the police and the media to his insurance company - suspects he is lying. No one can prove a thing, until a young woman at home with her baby thinks of something everyone else has missed. For the show notes, see timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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Presenting...This is History: A Dynasty to Die For
Jun 1100:33:23Summary readyThis episode comes to you from the new series of This is History, the podcast which tells the story of the Plantagenet Dynasty. Historian Dan Jones takes you through 300 years of calamities, wars and rebellions that marked the end of the Middle Ages and the rise of the Tudor Dynasty. This is the first episode of the tenth series, where you'll meet 13-year-old Margaret Beaufort and her newborn, Henry Tudor. Listen to This is History wherever you get your podcasts. If you are a member of our Cautionary Club, you can listen ad-free with a month's free membership to their Patreon. Look out for the gift link on our Patreon. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
SummaryHow Civilizations Die - with Paul Cooper
Jun 500:42:07Summary readyAs Governor of Britannia, Magnus Maximus has a huge army at his disposal, which is just what he needs to secure the Roman imperial throne. But perhaps the impressive general should have looked into the past before focusing on his future. Tim is joined by Paul Cooper, host of Fall of Civilizations Podcast, to explore why powerful civilizations such as the Assyrians, the Han dynasty and the Roman Empire all ultimately collapsed. Paul Cooper is the author of Fall of Civilizations: Stories of Greatness and Decline. For a full list of show notes, see timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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