Cautionary Tales
We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life 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” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.
WW2: How Britain Ignored the Mother of All Secrets
Cautionary Tales will be LIVE on stage in London this May. Tickets are on sale now: https://www.tegeurope.com/events/cautionary-tales/ Neatly...
ListenThe Fraudster's Guide to Magic Money
Cautionary Tales will be LIVE on stage in London this May. Tickets are on sale now: https://www.tegeurope.com/events/cautionary-tales/ Sam...
ListenBlood and Gold (with Dan Snow)
Bonus: When Spanish conquistadors arrived in Peru in 1526, it was the beginning of the end for the Inca....
ListenThe Rise and Fall of a Megalomaniac
Nicolae Ceau?escu was not beloved. His regime was vicious and he treated Romania as his personal wallet:...
ListenInside the Bizarre World of Dictators
Why are so many autocrats germaphobes? Why was the truth so dangerous for Soviet engineers? And what...
ListenHappy World Happiness Day!!!!
To mark International Day of Happiness and the release of the annual World Happiness Report, Dr Laurie...
ListenDo Nothing, Then Do Less
Chuck Yeager's plane pitched and rolled as it plummeted from the sky. He grappled with the controls...
ListenBuried Evil: V2 Rocket (Part 3)
As US troops approached a Nazi prison camp, they could hear agonized wailing. The stench of rotting...
ListenInto the Black Lair: V2 Rocket (Part 2)
In the 1920s, Germany’s Society for Spaceship Travel boasted some of the sharpest scientific minds...
ListenSupersonic Nazi Vengeance: V2 Rocket (Part 1)
At the height of World War Two, British intelligence began receiving reports that the enemy was developing...
ListenTenerife: The Most Deadly Air Disaster
Teaser: In 1977, two planes collided on the runway at Tenerife Airport. Why did the crash happen? And,...
ListenMartin Luther King, the Jewelry Genius, and the Art of Public Speaking (Classic)
One speechmaker inspired millions with his words, the other utterly destroyed his own multi-million-dollar...
ListenDANGER: Rocks Ahead! (Classic)
Torrey Canyon was one of the biggest and best ships in the world - but its captain and crew still needlessly...
ListenWhen Stalin Killed the Weekend (with The Happiness Lab)
What if you could never have the same day off as your family and friends? Would you quit your job? What...
ListenHow the Radium Girls Fought Back
Cautionary Book Club: Mollie Maggia's dentist planned to remove a painful abscess from her mouth. But...
ListenGlowing Peril: The Magical Glitter That Poisoned a City
In Goiânia, Brazil, a junk dealer acquires an old medical device from two scrap-metal scavengers....
ListenGeorge Washington's Beard of Beetles (with The Dollop)
Cautionary Conversation: Just before Christmas 1799, President George Washington was riding around his...
ListenLaser Versus Parchment: Doomsday for the Disc
William the Conqueror undertook a remarkably modern project. In 1086, he began compiling and storing...
ListenCautionary Tales Presents The Dream
On The Dream, host Jane Marie gets to know the life coaches and gurus who claim they know the secret...
ListenKillers of the Flower Moon: Osage Chief Jim Gray In Conversation
Henry Roan has been shot through the back of his head. The local authorities have found his body slumped...
ListenOil and Blood: The Osage Murders
Minnie Smith grew sick quite suddenly. She had been young, fit and healthy - and the doctors were baffled...
ListenDOUBLE BILL: A Monkey For Mayor / A Screw Loose At 17,000 Feet
This week, we've twice the storytelling fun for you: two Cautionary Tales shorts, previously only available...
Listen"7000 horses are being flown across space..." - Cautionary Questions #2
Why are board games so popular in Germany? What’s Tim Harford’s top tip for productivity? And where...
ListenCautionary Tales Presents: Getting out of Dodge from Revisionist History
The longest running television series of the 20th century was Gunsmoke, a western set in the notorious...
Listen