Cautionary Conversation: You may be surprised to learn that champagne as we know it today was invented by a nineteenth-century businesswoman. Tim Harford is joined by Ben Walter, CEO of Chase for Business and the host of The Unshakeables podcast, to explore the story of the trailblazing Widow Clicquot - aka La Veuve Clicquot. Tim and…

Tim Harford

19.02.2025

Cautionary Tales – The Thrill and the Drop: A First Date Rollercoaster | Tim Harford

Leah Washington and her new boyfriend Joe Pugh are on their first day out together. They're at Alton Towers theme park, where they've chosen to ride the "Smiler" rollercoaster: a terrifying tangle of track that loops and swoops through a world-record 14 inversions. Leah and Joe are seated right at the front of the train,…

Tim Harford

21.02.2025

Can economic growth still make us happy? | Tim Harford

Richard Easterlin died in December at the age of 98. He’s been called “the father of happiness economics”, and it’s hard to disagree. Fifty years ago, after struggling to find an economics journal with any interest in the topic, Easterlin published an article titled “Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot?” It planted the seeds…

Tim Harford

21.02.2025

Cautionary Tales – the Nursery Rhyme that Ruined a Rock Band | Tim Harford

"Down Under" was huge. This jokey ode to legendary Australian wanderlust helped Men at Work win a Grammy and was a key part of the band's creative legacy. It had also been earning "Men At Work" a steady stream of royalties for nearly 30 years, when a game show pointed out the song's subtle link with…

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Tim Harford

Economy

Cautionary Tales – The Widow Who Disrupted Champagne | Tim Harford

Cautionary Tales – The Thrill and the Drop: A First Date Rollercoaster | Tim Harford

Can economic growth still make us happy? | Tim Harford

Cautionary Tales – the Nursery Rhyme that Ruined a Rock Band | Tim Harford

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