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Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Pushkin Industries
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.
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- Yesterday38 min
The Mummy's Curse (Halloween Classic)
This October, Cautionary Tales is going all out for Halloween. We've got four brand new spooky episodes coming your way throughout the month, plus a fifth over on the Cautionary Club on Patreon. If you have your own Halloween-themed Cautionary Tale or have any questions about belief and the paranormal we'd love to hear from you - contact tales@pushkin.fm To begin the month, we're revisiting one of our favourite episodes, about the grizzly fates of the archaeologists who disturbed the resting place of Tutankhamun. For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com To join the Cautionary Club head to Patreon.com/cautionaryclubSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 1 weeks ago41 min
When Muhammad Ali Met Henry’s Hammer
Before he became Muhammad Ali, Cassius Clay was known as the "Louisville Loud-mouth", as famous for his sharp taunts and poetic put-downs as he was for his skills in the ring. In 1963, Clay arrived in England to take down beloved British Heavyweight, Henry Cooper. Clay is the clear favourite, but the showdown will be remembered as one of boxing history's most shocking battles, changing both men forever and showing what it really means to win. For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com Join our Cautionary Club to get episodes ad-free, hear bonus interviews and get an extra Cautionary Tale every month .See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 2 weeks ago42 min
How a Broken Arm Improved my French - with David Epstein
Last week, Cautionary Tales described the rise and fall of General Magic, the startup with too much money and too few constraints. Was General Magic really doomed from the start, and what does its fate tell us about AI, drug discovery and our love lives? David Epstein, author of Inside the Box: How Constraints Make Us Better, joins Tim to make the case for loving limitations. For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com Join our Cautionary Club to get episodes ad-free, hear bonus interviews and get an extra Cautionary Tale every month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 3 weeks ago38 min
Talent, Time and Money: The Curse of General Magic
It's 1990. A new company called General Magic is going to build its vision of the future: the smart phone. They have talent, almost unlimited cash, and a 15 year head start on the iPhone. What could go wrong? This episode was based, with permission, on David Epstein's book Inside the Box: How Constraints Make us Better. For a list of sources, see the show notes. Join our Cautionary Club to get episodes ad-free, hear bonus interviews and get an extra Cautionary Tale every month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- 4 weeks ago40 min
Evel Knievel Faces the Abyss
Evel Knievel, the world-famous daredevil, is planning his greatest ever stunt. In 1974, he wants to leap over Snake River Canyon in Idaho. The chasm is almost a third of a mile wide, much bigger than any jump he's done before. To make it work, he'll need a custom-made rocket-powered "Skycycle," TV camera crews and - most importantly - a very positive attitude. For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com. Join our Cautionary Club to get episodes ad-free, hear bonus interviews and get an extra Cautionary Tale every month.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Aug 28, 202639 min
Dumm und Dümmer: Hitler Invades Florida
In 1942, eight men are sent from Nazi Germany to infiltrate America. Their mission: to sabotage critical infrastructure. Their problem: they're idiots. Operation Pastorius soon devolves into one of the most baffling failures of World War II. For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Aug 21, 202649 min
The DeLorean Saga: Fraud, Drugs and Marty McFly's Car - with Business History
This is a special crossover episode with Business History. John DeLorean was a visionary who wanted to create a futuristic new sports car - a stainless steel marvel with distinctive gull-wing doors. The British Government agreed to finance the project, provided he built his factory in a troubled part of Northern Ireland. Production stumbled, sales fizzled and DeLorean liked to fiddle with the numbers. As the company approached ruin, a neighbour offered DeLorean a lifeline, if he'd only come in on a cocaine deal. See the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
- Aug 14, 202625 min
Proceed with Caution - Pascal's Guide to Podcasts
How does a story on Cautionary Tales come to life? In this episode of our subscriber-exclusive series, Proceed with Caution, sound designer Pascal Wyse shows Tim how the audio magic happens. He explains how he picks the music in an episode, why it's best to avoid 'Mickey Mousing', and how to sound design some of the stranger moments of Cautionary Tales. To subscribe to the Cautionary Club and hear more like this, go to patreon.com/cautionary club.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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About Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
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.
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