Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford Episodes Episode guide
-
You Have Reached Your Destination
If your world relies on fortune tellers, GPS or algorithms...you may end up in a bad spot
-
WW2: How Britain Ignored the Mother of All Secrets
The story of one of the most extraordinary intelligence leaks in history.
-
Whistleblower on the 28th Floor
Why are we suspicious of "tattletales" and what can we do to make whistleblowing easier?
-
When the Robots Take Over... - Cautionary Questions
Does winning the lottery make you unhappy? Is Bitcoin bad for the economy?
-
When Stalin Killed the Weekend (with The Happiness Lab)
The story of Stalin's curious, calendar-reshaping experiment.
-
The Rogue Dressed as a Captain
Humans aren't as obedient as we鈥檙e made out to be鈥ut we still fall easily for fraudsters
-
The Revenge of the Whales
How much is what we think we understand about the natural world shaped by human guilt?
-
The Poet Who Toppled The British Empire
This is the final episode in a four-part series about how to succeed without being a jerk
-
The Nice Guy, the Bully and the Kiss
Leo Durocher would stop at nothing to win.
-
The Human Guinea Pigs of Camp Lazear
Is it time to start thinking differently about experimenting on humans?
-
The Fraudster's Guide to Magic Money
How do pyramid and ponzi schemes snowball out of control?
-
The Fan Who Infected a Movie Star
Tragedy can be averted if we appeal to the better parts of human nature.
-
The Edinburgh Body Snatchers: Murder at Halloween
What makes some markets acceptable, and others repugnant?
-
The Dunning Kruger Hijack (and Other Criminally Stupid Acts)
The height of stupidity is being too stupid to know you are stupid...
-
The Deadly Airship Race
Competition can bring the best out of people, but can also cause things to fall apart.
-
The Curse of Knowledge Meets The Valley of Death
How assuming others understand exactly what we are thinking gets people killed.
-
The Art Forger, the Nazi, and "The Pope"
Being clever doesn't protect us from scams...
-
Supersonic Nazi Vengeance: V2 Rocket (Part 1)
In WW2, British intelligence began to hear that the enemy was developing a rocket weapon.
-
Steel and Kindness: Clash of the Skyscrapers
Paul Starrett has just won a major building contract, but will everything go to plan?
-
Run, Switzer, Run: The Women Who Broke the Marathon Taboo
Until the 1960s, it was deemed too "dangerous" for women athletes to run longer distances
-
RoboPod and the Perpetual Money Machine - Cautionary Questions 2
Tim Harford and Jacob Goldstein answer more of your questions.
-
Reason, Wrath and Rebellion on the High Seas
History remembers Captain Bligh as a cruel, petty tyrant. The reality is more complicated
-
Number Fever: How Pepsi Nearly Went Pop
Why some botched competitions ruin businesses, while others short-change consumers.
-
Masterly Inactivity Versus Micromanaging
Lady Sale (Helena Bonham Carter) was part of a British retreat from Afghanistan in 1842.
-
Martin Luther King Jr, the Jewellery Genius, and the Art of Public Speaking
Some speeches help us dream of a better world鈥hile others become the stuff of nightmares
-
La La Land: Galileo's Warning
Giving an Oscar to the wrong film proved that some safety systems can increase mistakes.
-
Introducing... The Science of Happiness
The Science of Happiness is available now on 大象传媒 Sounds.
-
Introducing... Short History Of...
Introducing Short History Of... The Dambusters. Listen other episodes on 大象传媒 Sounds now!
-
Into the Black Lair: V2 Rocket (Part 2)
How Nazi Germany was convinced that they couldn鈥檛 afford to ignore rocket technology.
-
How the Radium Girls Fought Back
Tim Harford and Kate Moore discuss how the "Radium Girls" took on their employers.