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Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Pushkin

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.

  1. VOR 3 TAGEN

    Beware Tech Tycoons with Piranha Tanks - with Katie Prescott

    Mike Lynch was often lauded as Britain's answer to Bill Gates. Born into a working-class family, Lynch's incredible intellect and passion for computers led him to become a billionaire tech entrepreneur. But behind the scenes, Lynch was a bully who couldn't bear criticism and was prone to creative accounting. When computer giant Hewlett Packard bought his company, Autonomy, it triggered one of the biggest fraud scandals in Silicon Valley history. Tim talks to Katie Prescott, Technology Business Editor at The Times and author of the book The Curious Case of Mike Lynch, about the lessons we can take from a story no one could have predicted. For a list of sources see timharford.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    41 Min.

  2. 24. APR.

    Finding Grace in a Burger Bun: An Incrediburgible Quest

    Dick and Mac are content with their lives: they enjoy making burgers by day and stargazing by night. Ray Kroc is a workaholic chasing success at any cost. When the brothers' relaxed approach to business collides with Kroc's ruthless ambition it will birth one of the world's best-known brands. This is the story of two very different approaches to making hamburgers - and two very different approaches to making money. For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    41 Min.

  3. 17. APR.

    Run, Switzer, Run: The Women who Broke the Marathon Taboo (Classic)

    Tim is running the London Marathon on the 26th of April. To give him a week off to finish training, we're playing this running-themed classic from the archives. If you would like to donate to Teenage Cancer Trust, Tim's fundraising page is at tinyurl.com/HarfordMarathon - any support is very much appreciated. Until the 1960s, it was deemed too "dangerous" for women athletes to run distances longer than 200m - and a marathon would kill them, or leave them unable to have children. Rubbish, of course. But when Kathrine Switzer signed up for the 1967 Boston Marathon, it wasn't the distance that bothered her - it was the enraged race director trying to assault her.   Thanks to pioneers like Kathrine, women have made huge strides in long distance running - and are now challenging the times of men in the very races they were banned from for so very long. See the show notes at timharford.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    37 Min.

  4. 14. APR. ·  BONUS • NUR PUSHKIN+

    Subscriber Exclusive: Bravo, Comrade Lysenko! The Man who Failed to Feed the USSR

    This episode is available exclusively to Cautionary Club members and Pushkin+ subscribers. To join the Club and get access to ad-free listening, behind the scenes content and bonus episodes, head to ⁠⁠⁠⁠www.patreon.com/cautionaryclub⁠⁠⁠⁠. To join Pushkin+ visit ⁠⁠⁠⁠pushkin.fm⁠⁠⁠⁠ or the ⁠show page⁠ on ⁠⁠Apple⁠⁠. Comrade Lysenko has seized control of Soviet agriculture with his radical ideas about genetics. He disdains traditional scientists who learn everything from books and nothing from the land, and those who question his methods soon find themselves in trouble with Stalin. Across the world, the abrasive Iowan farmer's son Norman Borlaug is also annoying experts with his big ideas. Both men are sure they can end starvation, but their approaches couldn't be more different. See the show notes at timharford.com

    42 Min.

  5. 10. APR.

    The Lovestruck Explorer's Deadly Guessing Game

    In 1860, police officer Robert O'Hara Burke plans an expedition to map the mysterious blank in the centre of Australia. Joining him is scientist William Wills, and a ragtag team of hires. Burke falls out with virtually everyone around him, and demonstrates an uncanny ability to make terrible choices - from the equipment he brings to the route he takes. But even as the mission unravels, one final, simple decision could still save him. For a full list of show notes, see timharford.com.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    39 Min.

  6. 7. APR. ·  BONUS

    The Refugee Who Led a Software Revolution - with Ben Walter

    Millionaire-making tech start-ups are most often associated with Silicon Valley. But this software revolution begins on a woman’s kitchen table in rural Britain in the 1960s. Steve Shirley faced extraordinary odds. After escaping Nazi Germany as a child, she later encountered workplace discrimination and endured deep personal tragedy. But she persevered to build a business decades ahead of its time, creating opportunities for hundreds of women. Tim Harford is joined by Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and host of The Unshakeables podcast, to explore the life, legacy and lessons of an overlooked titan of tech. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    28 Min.

  7. 3. APR.

    The Mad Mystic and the Last Battle on English Soil - with Ian Breckon

    As the Victorian era dawns, modernisation erodes the old ways of life and poverty rises. In the unrest, an unlikely hero emerges, capturing the imagination of the countryside's working class. He claims to be the new Messiah, and promises a better future. Despite his unconventional appearance and strange claims, his message resonates with the people of Kent, many of whom are willing to follow him into bloody battle. For this Cautionary Conversation, Ian Breckon - author of Mad Tom's Rising: The Revolutionary Mystic Sir William Courtenay and the Last Battle Fought on English Soil - joins Tim to discuss a forgotten folk hero and the dangerous power of belief in desperate times. For a full list of show notes, see timharford.com.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    44 Min.

  8. 27. MÄRZ

    The Sightseeing Flight and the Invisible Mountain

    In November 1979, Flight 901 departs New Zealand on a sightseeing journey over Antarctica, heading directly towards a volcano. When the plane vanishes, investigators are left with a mystery: how could a seasoned pilot miss a 12,000-foot peak? As they try to piece together the incident, conflicting stories emerge, key evidence disappears, and a troubling picture takes shape - one defined by human error, deceptive illusions, and the hunt for someone to blame.  For a full list of show notes, see timharford.com.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    40 Min.
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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.

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  • Kanal
    Pushkin
  • Erstellt von
    Pushkin Industries
  • Jahre aktiv
    2019 - 2026
  • Folgen
    244
  • Bewertung
    Unbedenklich
  • Copyright
    © 2026 2025 Pushkin Industries
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    Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
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