110 episodes

Tim Harford tells the fascinating stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which have helped create the economic world.

50 Things That Made the Modern Economy BBC Podcasts

    • Business
    • 4.8 • 1.2K Ratings

Tim Harford tells the fascinating stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which have helped create the economic world.

    Introducing: Season 2 of 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter

    Introducing: Season 2 of 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter

    How animals make us smarter – we thought you might like to hear our brand new episode. It’s about a robotic arm inspired by an elephant’s trunk.
    For more, search for 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter wherever you get your podcasts.
    #30Animals

    • 18 min
    Introducing 13 Minutes to the Moon Season 2

    Introducing 13 Minutes to the Moon Season 2

    Jump on-board a doomed mission to the Moon. Apollo 13: the extraordinary story, told by the people who flew it and saved it.
    Search for 13 Minutes to the Moon wherever you get your podcasts.
    #13MinutestotheMoon

    • 3 min
    Gutenberg press

    Gutenberg press

    Johannes Gutenberg's printing press changed the course of human history. It created a new way of doing business, drastically reduced the cost and speed of making books, and enabled texts, ideas and arguments to spread further and faster than ever before. So why did he struggle to make money from it?

    • 10 min
    Slot machines

    Slot machines

    First developed by a toy company in the 1890s, slot machines have become one of the most profitable tools of the gambling trade - but many who play them say winning isn't the point. So why can't people pull themselves away? Tim Harford looks under the spinning wheels and flashing lights to see what these devices reveal about the business of addiction.

    • 9 min
    Chess algorithms

    Chess algorithms

    In 1997, Garry Kasparov, widely regarded as the world's greatest chess player, was defeated by Deep Blue, a computer. But how much did that reveal about the 'brainpower' of machines? Tim Harford explains by delving into the history of algorithms. They've been used by mathematicians and scientists for millennia, but have acquired a new level of power and importance in the digital age.

    • 9 min
    Auctions

    Auctions

    Are things only worth what people are willing to pay for them? Tim Harford explains why a method of buying and selling that originated in ancient times has endured to the present day, and is now underpinning the success of some of the internet's most powerful brands.

    • 9 min

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
1.2K Ratings

1.2K Ratings

jovin9 ,

Very interesting

A great range of subjects and a lot of information packed into short episodes.

Nicmx5 ,

Informative, succinct, fascinating

Informative, succinct, fascinating

[}{]{ ,

Love it !!!!!!

I love this. Only one complaint there are only 50 episodes!

Top Podcasts In Business

The Diary Of A CEO with Steven Bartlett
DOAC
The Martin Lewis Podcast
BBC Radio 5 Live
A Book with Legs
Smead Capital Management
Making Money
Kindling Media
Big Fish with Spencer Matthews
Global
Fail Forward
Henri Ghijben

You Might Also Like

More or Less: Behind the Stats
BBC Radio 4
Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford
Pushkin Industries
BBC Inside Science
BBC Radio 4
CrowdScience
BBC World Service
A History of the World in 100 Objects
BBC Radio 4
In Our Time
BBC Radio 4

More by BBC

Newscast
BBC News
Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley
BBC Radio 4
You're Dead to Me
BBC Radio 4
The Infinite Monkey Cage
BBC Radio 4
The Martin Lewis Podcast
BBC Radio 5 Live
Rugby Union Daily
BBC Radio 5 Live