We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the... more
Leah Washington and her new boyfriend Joe Pugh are on their first day out together. They're at Alton Towers theme... more
Cautionary Conversation: In the 1920s, a conman convinced America that goat testicles were the secret to male virility. Tim Harford... more
Winston Trew has just been arrested for mugging. It's 1972 and the crime has recently made its way to Britain... more
In the bleak Russian winter of 1959, nine experienced hikers led by Igor Dyatlov set out on an expedition. None... more
Two airplanes have just collided on the runway at Tenerife Airport. While no one on the Amsterdam-bound KLM plane survives... more
“Evacuate the airport, we’ve planted bombs,” a terrorist tells the telephone operator at the airport in Gran Canaria, in 1977.... more
Cautionary Tales returns with new episodes on January 10th. Lizzie J. Magie (played by Helena Bonham Carter) should be celebrated as... more
When James Dallas Egbert III was reported missing from his college dorm in 1979, one of America's most flamboyant private... more
Off the coast of an Italian island, an enormous cruise ship - seventeen floors high, three soccer pitches long -... more
It's the season of giving: colorful paper and shiny bows, sure, and charitable giving, too. In this special episode, Jacob... more
What really drove the 2008 financial crash? What’s a shadow bank? And what’s the connection between NIMBYs and BANANAs? Tim... more
Charles Darwin was stumped by peacocks. According to his theory of evolution, some creatures were better equipped to survive in... more
In 1827, Edinburgh, Scotland was a world centre for anatomical study, but there was a shortage of cadavers for medical... more
Tim Harford joined Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova on their podcast Risky Business to discuss two of history’s most compelling... more
India, 1930. Sarojini Naidu is marching towards a British-controlled saltwork; behind her is a long column of protestors all dressed in... more
Early morning, April 1789. Captain Bligh is abruptly dragged from his cabin. Wrists bound, bayonet pressed to his chest, he... more
Paul Starrett has just won a major building contract. If everything goes according to plan, this will be the tallest... more
Leo Durocher would stop at nothing to win. The baseball player-turned-manager was a skilled tactician and famously tough. But he also cheated,... more
Tim Harford's life has been building up to this moment. In this Cautionary Conversation, he discusses the works of his... more
Young doctor Jesse Lazear has deadly Yellow Fever. He thrashes around and convulses in his sick bed, and his vomit... more
Cautionary Conversation: Steve Jobs hated his phone so much that he smashed it against a wall. He also referred to... more
The disappearance and death of Mitrice Richardson remains Malibu, CA’s most baffling unsolved case. It’s been nearly 14 years since... more
Panic has erupted in the cockpit of Air France Flight 447. The pilots are convinced they’ve lost control of the plane. It’s... more
Until the 1960s, it was deemed too "dangerous" for women athletes to run distances longer than 200m - and a... more
Adi and Rudi Dassler made sports shoes together - until a feud erupted between them. They set up competing companies,... more
In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in 1819, Owen Chase is standing on a slowly sinking ship. It's just... more
Tim Harford is joined by Jacob Goldstein to answer your questions. Does winning the lottery make you unhappy? Is Bitcoin bad... more
Neatly dressed in his suit, Hans Ferdinand Mayer was every inch the unassuming corporate executive. So, when he asked to... more
Sam Israel had a problem. The investors in his hedge fund, Bayou Capital, were expecting spectacular returns. Sam himself had spent... more
Bonus: When Spanish conquistadors arrived in Peru in 1526, it was the beginning of the end for the Inca. Their... more
Nicolae Ceaușescu was not beloved. His regime was vicious and he treated Romania as his personal wallet: while Ceaușescu emptied the... more
Why are so many autocrats germaphobes? Why was the truth so dangerous for Soviet engineers? And what can salami reveal... more
The Happiness Lab’s Dr. Laurie Santos brings together other Pushkin hosts to mark the International Day of Happiness. Revisionist History’s... more
Chuck Yeager's plane pitched and rolled as it plummeted from the sky. He grappled with the controls inside the cockpit,... more
As US troops approached a Nazi prison camp, they could hear agonized wailing. The stench of rotting flesh filled their... more
In the 1920s, Germany’s Society for Spaceship Travel boasted some of the sharpest scientific minds – like the incandescently brilliant... more
At the height of World War Two, British intelligence began receiving reports that the enemy was developing a rocket weapon.... more
Teaser: In 1977, two planes collided on the runway at Tenerife Airport. Why did the crash happen? And, given that... more
One speechmaker inspired millions with his words, the other utterly destroyed his own multi-million-dollar business with just a few phrases.... more
Torrey Canyon was one of the biggest and best ships in the world - but its captain and crew still... more
What if you could never have the same day off as your family and friends? Would you quit your job?... more
Cautionary Book Club: Mollie Maggia's dentist planned to remove a painful abscess from her mouth. But to his horror, her jawbone disintegrated at his... more
In Goiânia, Brazil, a junk dealer acquires an old medical device from two scrap-metal scavengers. The device itself isn't useful, but it... more
Cautionary Conversation: Just before Christmas 1799, President George Washington was riding around his country estate, Mount Vernon, when it began to... more
William the Conqueror undertook a remarkably modern project. In 1086, he began compiling and storing a detailed record of his... more
On The Dream, host Jane Marie gets to know the life coaches and gurus who claim they know the secret... more
Henry Roan has been shot through the back of his head. The local authorities have found his body slumped over... more
Minnie Smith grew sick quite suddenly. She had been young, fit and healthy - and the doctors were baffled when... more
This week, we've twice the storytelling fun for you: two Cautionary Tales shorts, previously only available to Pushkin+ subscribers. A... more
Why are board games so popular in Germany? What’s Tim Harford’s top tip for productivity? And where do all those... more
Minnie Smith grew sick quite suddenly. She had been young, fit and healthy - and the doctors were baffled when she died.... more