"You’re Not Howard Hughes!"
By the 1970s Howard Hughes was the "invisible billionaire”. A business tycoon, a daring aviator and Hollywood Lothario, Hughes had an amazing life story... but hiding away in luxury hotels he wasn't s...
26 Aug 202235min
"Who would you dine with? Scott or Amundsen?" Malcolm Gladwell and Tim Harford in Discussion.
Malcolm Gladwell joins Tim Harford to discuss our recent three-part tale about the race to reach the South Pole. There's talk of imperial decline; the power of the underdog; why getting everything you...
19 Aug 202225min
South Pole Race: When the Limeys Get Scurvy
Polar exploration is dangerous... but trudging hundreds of miles in subzero temperatures isn't made any easier if you're suffering from scurvy. The deadly vitamin deficiency destroys the body and will...
12 Aug 202233min
The Bowery Boys and the Black Tom Explosion
Cautionary Tales returns next week, but in the meantime enjoy a story of disaster from The Bowery Boys Podcast. It's July 30th 1916, just after 2am, and a massive explosion rips apart the munitions d...
5 Aug 202245min
South Pole Race: “Mummy, is Amundsen a good man?”
Roald Amundsen beat Captain Scott to the South Pole. The Norwegian - using dog sleds and skis - made it look easy... fun, even. He was heading home to safety, while the British party - hauling sleds b...
29 Jul 202235min
South Pole Race: David and Goliath on Ice
1910: Two men are racing to be the first to reach the South Pole. Captain Robert Falcon Scott heads a well-financed, technologically-advanced expedition - aiming to reach the pole in the "proper" and ...
15 Jul 202233min
Chicago When It Sizzles
July 1995: A deadly heatwave gripped Chicago - bridges buckled; the power grids failed; and the morgue ran out of space - but some neighbourhoods saw more deaths than others. Sociologist Eric Klinenbe...
1 Jul 202238min
The French Knight’s Guide to Corporate Culture
France 1346: The army of King Philip VI is Europe's pre-eminent killing machine. It's accustomed to crushing any force stupid enough to oppose it, and now fully expects to annihilate a motley band of ...
17 Jun 202236min
