A woman tells the history
of slavery in her family
Why English is full of silent letters
English has a silent letter problem. The situation is so out of hand that it's often said that every letter of the alphabet can be found silent somewhere in our…
Will the Pope Be An Ally Against AI?
Paris Marx is joined by Paolo Benanti to discuss what Pope Leo XIV’s statements on AI, the publications under Pope Francis, and the ethics of AI from a theological perspective.
Bleeding Kansas
Comedian Curtis Cook talks about John Brown
Cautionary Tales – The Truth About Hansel and Gretel
Cautionary Tales is written by me, Tim Harford, with Andrew Wright. It is produced by Ryan Dilley and Marilyn Rust. The sound design and original music is the work of…
Cautionary Tales – Stalling for Survival: A Lonely Fight Against a Deadly Medicine
In 1960, FDA scientist Frances Oldham Kelsey is tasked with approving an application for a mild sedative to be sold in America. The drug is popular across Europe and is…
Cautionary Tales – Paradise Poisoned: How Utopias Fall Apart
Dore and Friedrich make an unconventional couple, united by their contempt for shoes, root vegetables and, above all, society. In 1929 they leave Germany and begin anew on the deserted…
Cautionary Tales – The Shark That Ate Hollywood
Steven Spielberg thought his career was finished. He was behind schedule, his actors were fighting, the crew were mutinous and worst of all, his shark was broken. It looked like…
The etymology of “earthling”
and its interesting ending via Jess Zafarris