Here’s a special preview of the new season of Cautionary Tales from Pushkin Industries. On Cautionary Tales, bestselling author Tim Harford shares stories of human error, natural disasters, and tragic catastrophes from history that teach us important lessons for today. In this preview, you’ll hear about the 1981 Hyatt Regency Hotel collapse, a shocking desig ... Show More
May 31
10 Things in the Appalachian Woods That Shouldn’t Be There
There’s an old rule in the Appalachian Mountains, if you hear your name called from the woods, don’t answer. This week, we’re delving into the hills to find out why. We cover folklore from a 200-year-old Tennessee haunting that killed a man, to a 10-foot creature that emerged in ... Show More
1h 11m
Apr 21
Bloom and Rot - A Rural Village Spring Folk-Horror
Join Alyson for a work of folk horror fiction she wrote in honor of the new spring season. In this episode, we follow Fiona, who has gone to the village of Eldergrove after the death of her aunt, to claim her inheritance of Aunt Erin's cottage. However, this inheritance came with ... Show More
46m 20s
Feb 2026
Away with the Fairies: The Changeling Murder of Bridget Cleary
In 1895 Ireland, Bridget Cleary was killed by those who believed she had been replaced by a fairy changeling. In this episode we explore the eerie folklore of the Aos Sí, the fear that fueled her murder, and how superstition turned deadly in modern Ireland. Hosted by Simplecast, ... Show More
55m 55s
Apr 2022
TEASER: From Cautionary Tales: Death on the Floor
Here’s a special preview of the new season of Cautionary Tales from Pushkin Industries. On Cautionary Tales, bestselling author Tim Harford shares stories of human error, natural disasters, and tragic catastrophes from history that teach us important lessons for today. In this pr ... Show More
10m 53s
Jul 2023
A Fascination with Failure: Death On The Dancefloor (Classic)
Henry Petroski is one of Tim Harford's favourite fellow nerds. His study of engineering failures has profoundly influenced Tim's own writing, including the classic Cautionary Tales episode Death on the Dance Floor. Petroski passed away in June 2023, at the age of 81. This week, i ... Show More
42m 27s
Mar 2020
Classic Tides: The Black Death Revisited
<p>In light of current events, we are re-posting one of my favorite episodes (from June, 2018) on the Black Death.</p><p>Between 1346 and 1351, the Black Death killed tens of millions of people - at least half the population - in Europe and the Middle East. This great mortality, ... Show More
52m 36s
Oct 2019
Introducing: Cautionary Tales
Coming November 15 from Tim Harford and Pushkin Industries, Cautionary Tales relates a true story of a time when something did not go according to plan. Some of these true stories are tragic, some are comic, but like the great fables and parables, each of them has a moral. Equipp ... Show More
2m 57s
Oct 2023
Crime Story: Yohance reflects on You Didn’t See Nothin
Yohance sits down with Kathleen Goldhar, the host of CBC’s new podcast Crime Story, to talk about Lenard Clark’s case and the many questions he grappled with while making You Didn’t See Nothin. Every week, Crime Story brings you a true crime case told by the storyteller who knows ... Show More
43m 11s