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.
What this show covers
Halloweenparanormalinnovationconstraintsbeliefcrop circlesskepticismAncient EgyptTutankhamunHistorical mysteryCassius ClayMuhammad Aliboxing historysports rivalryHenry Cooper
What listeners will find here
Crop circles, belief, and the very human mystery in 1980s Wiltshire
Crop circles sweep across Southern England in this Halloween-season episode, as overnight patterns spark theories about aliens and the paranormal. The story turns on a simpler possibility: the truth may be close at hand, but much harder to get people to accept.
Tutankhamun, terror, and the legend of the mummy’s curse
This Halloween classic revisits the eerie story of the archaeologists linked to Tutankhamun’s tomb and their grisly fates. It sets a spooky tone for the month while digging into one of the most enduring paranormal legends.
Cassius Clay, Henry Cooper, and the fight that redefined winning
Cassius Clay’s 1963 trip to England to face British heavyweight Henry Cooper sets up a bout between a brash favorite and a national hero. The episode centers on a shocking fight that changed both men and asks what victory really means.
Why constraints can spark better ideas, from startups to love lives
This episode explores whether General Magic was doomed and what its story says about AI, drug discovery, and relationships. David Epstein joins Tim Harford to argue that limitations can be a hidden advantage rather than a problem to eliminate.
A smartphone 15 years early—and the hidden downside of having everything
General Magic set out in 1990 to build the future smartphone with elite talent, deep funding, and a huge head start. This episode explores why those advantages may have become liabilities, turning a visionary project into a cautionary tale about innovation and constraints.
Episodes
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