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Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

By: Pushkin Industries
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About this listen

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.

2025 2025 Pushkin Industries Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • "They fall behind and are slowly crushed" - Board Games and Economics with Richard Garfield

    "They fall behind and are slowly crushed" - Board Games and Economics with Richard Garfield
    Dec 19 2025

    Playing board games and spending too much money are time-honored Christmas traditions, so to mark the festive season, Tim is joined by the creator of Magic: The Gathering - Richard Garfield - for a special Q&A about economics and game design.

    How should you go about building the perfect game? Why did the Magic trading card market crash? Why do so many people hate Monopoly? Plus, Richard has a bone to pick with Tim about a previous episode of Cautionary Questions.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    48 mins
  • Flixborough: The Factory that was Wiped off the Map

    Flixborough: The Factory that was Wiped off the Map
    Dec 12 2025

    A megaplant near the small village of Flixborough, England, is busy churning out a key ingredient of nylon 6, a material used in everything from stockings to toothbrushes to electronics. When a reactor vessel fails, the engineers improvise a quick-fix workaround, so the plant can keep up with demand. Before long, the temporary patch - a small, bent pipe - becomes a permanent part of the factory, and the people of Flixborough unknowingly drift towards disaster.

    For a full list of sources, see www.timharford.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    39 mins
  • The Disappearance of Grace Oakeshott

    The Disappearance of Grace Oakeshott
    Dec 5 2025

    At the start of the 20th century, Britain was slowly becoming a freer place for women. Young Grace Oakeshott seized every opportunity to learn and improve the world around her - though she found those opportunities frustratingly narrow. One day, she vanished suddenly, leaving behind only a pile of clothes on a beach. A hundred years later, the truth about Grace’s disappearance has finally come to light.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
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    38 mins
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I really enjoy how the tales are told and the lessons that we are presented in that story format. It's a fantastic podcast that I binged every episode and wish there was more to hear.

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