122 episodes

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 other Friday.

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford Pushkin

    • History
    • 4.8 • 85 Ratings

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

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 other Friday.

Listen on Apple Podcasts
Requires subscription and macOS 11.4 or higher

    Do Nothing, Then Do Less

    Do Nothing, Then Do Less

    Chuck Yeager's plane pitched and rolled as it plummeted from the sky. He grappled with the controls inside the cockpit, but to no avail: he couldn't steady the aircraft. The test pilot was known for his nerves of steel but, as the barren Mojave Desert hurtled towards him, even he was afraid. What to do?

    It's tempting to think that adding to our lives - more action, more work, more possessions - will lead to greater success and happiness. But sometimes doing less is the better option, as Chuck Yeager was to learn the hard way.

    In their second crossover episode, Tim Harford teams up with Dr Laurie Santos (host of The Happiness Lab) to examine why subtraction can be so challenging and so helpful.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 35 min
    Buried Evil: V2 Rocket (Part 3)

    Buried Evil: V2 Rocket (Part 3)

    As US troops approached a Nazi prison camp, they could hear agonized wailing. The stench of rotting flesh filled their nostrils. Moments later they discovered a pile of smoldering corpses, alongside emaciated survivors.

    Next to the concentration camp they found something else: tunnels filled with tools — and partially assembled rockets. The soldiers had hit upon the evil heart of the V2 manufacturing program: enslaved laborers, imprisoned underground.

    And the rocket program's director? Wernher von Braun had already fled. He now had just one concern: persuading the Americans to let him switch sides…

    For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.


    Do you have a question for Tim? Send it to tales@pushkin.fm and we'll do our best to answer it in a Q&A episode.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 39 min
    Into the Black Lair: V2 Rocket (Part 2)

    Into the Black Lair: V2 Rocket (Part 2)

    In the 1920s, Germany’s Society for Spaceship Travel boasted some of the sharpest scientific minds – like the incandescently brilliant young Wernher von Braun. But it had very little money, and progress was slow.

    Then, in 1932, the army made a proposal: it would fund more serious research if the enthusiasts at the Society would develop a rocket weapon.

    Despite a string of failures to launch, von Braun was able to convince key powerbrokers in Nazi Germany that they couldn’t afford to ignore rocket technology. How did he do it? And what happened when the murderous Heinrich Himmler made a play for the rocket program?

    For a full list of sources for this episode, visit timharford.com.


    Do you have a question for Tim? Send it to tales@pushkin.fm and we'll do our best to answer it in a Q&A episode.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 38 min
    Supersonic Nazi Vengeance: V2 Rocket (Part 1)

    Supersonic Nazi Vengeance: V2 Rocket (Part 1)

    At the height of World War Two, British intelligence began receiving reports that the enemy was developing a rocket weapon. The idea seemed fantastical — resources in Nazi Germany were scarce and a rocket-building program defied economic logic.

    But one intelligence chief took the reports of a rocket weapon seriously and he managed to convince Winston Churchill to heed the threat too. The British Prime Minister gave the order to bomb Germany’s rocket factory to rubble, and 600 bomber planes embarked on a full-scale attempt to obliterate it.

    From the air, the damage appeared devastating. The British thought they had succeeded in crushing the rocket-building program. But they were wrong.

    For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com.


    Do you have a question for Tim? Send it to tales@pushkin.fm and we'll do our best to answer it in an upcoming Q&A episode.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 36 min
    Tenerife: The Most Deadly Air Disaster

    Tenerife: The Most Deadly Air Disaster

    Teaser: In 1977, two planes collided on the runway at Tenerife Airport. Why did the crash happen? And, given that it took place on the ground, why didn't more people escape?

    In this new two-parter, Tim Harford explores the most deadly aviation accident in history. Both episodes are available now, ad-free, exclusively for subscribers to Pushkin+.

    If you're not already a subscriber, you can sign up for Pushkin+ on our Apple podcasts show page, or at pushkin.fm/plus.


    Do you have a question for Tim? Send it to tales@pushkin.fm and we'll do our best to answer it in an upcoming Q&A episode.
    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

    • 4 min
    Pushkin+ Exclusive: Cleared for Take-Off? - Tenerife Air Disaster

    Pushkin+ Exclusive: Cleared for Take-Off? - Tenerife Air Disaster

    To listen to this series and receive access to other benefits like ad-free episodes, exclusive content and early access, sign up for Pushkin+ on our Apple show page or at pushkin.fm.

    “Evacuate the airport, we’ve planted bombs,” a terrorist tells the telephone operator at the airport on Gran Canaria in 1977. By the end of that day, 583 people will have lost their lives – but not to a bomb explosion.

    The airplanes are diverted to the neighboring island of Tenerife. Loaded with passengers, they’re forced to sit on the hot tarmac for hours. Meanwhile, the flight crews rely on air traffic control to keep them updated and let them know when they can leave.

    Two Boeing 747s are anxiously waiting for thick fog to lift so that they can begin the journey home; all they need is clearance to take off. One of them has just taken on a hefty 15,000 gallons of fuel.

    What unfolds next is the most deadly aviation accident in history.

Customer Reviews

4.8 out of 5
85 Ratings

85 Ratings

Adventures_of_Ann3 ,

Everyone should listen to this podcast

Easy listening, while being fascinating!

Jessamylv ,

A+ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Beautifully structured stories that are a pleasure to listen to. I loved every episode and listened to each episode more than once. The way the stories are told show us how the lessons translate into so many aspects of our lives.
I can’t wait for the next season.

@kem.inc ,

Very well done

It’s a great podcast, very well written and presented with some voice acting just to go the extra mile and sell the stories. Can’t wait for more.

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