Episódios

  • The Philosopher and the Handyman: The Race Around the World - Part 1
    Feb 20 2026

    Who will be the first to sail non-stop around the world? In 1968, The Sunday Times announces a trophy and a cash prize for the winner, and the Golden Globe Race is on. Leading the charge are Robin Knox-Johnston, an old-fashioned British patriot, and Bernard Moitessier, an enigmatic French philosopher. As monstrous seas and deadly gales close in, the difference between victory and disaster will come down to just one word.

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

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    39 minutos
  • Presenting... American Criminal: The Great McDonald's Monopoly Heist
    Feb 17 2026

    This episode comes to you from American Criminal, the true-crime history podcast that takes you inside the minds of some of America's most notorious outlaws, exploring the dark side of the American dream.

    In this series, host Jeremy Schwartz explores the scandal at the heart of the McDonald's Monopoly promotion. The chance to win a prize when you bought a burger was a massive marketing success, with McDonald's returning to the promotion for years. But what the company didn't know was that a man on the inside was rigging the competition and choosing the big winners himself.

    Find American Criminal wherever you get your podcasts.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    41 minutos
  • Sphygmograph Be Damned: The Science of Love
    Feb 13 2026

    Chris McKinlay is a good-looking, smart student at UCLA, but he can't seem to get a girlfriend. He's a computing expert, so why not use his technology prowess to supercharge his search for a soulmate? He starts building an army of bots and unleashes them into the world of online dating. Chris' search for love leads him to some unexpected places, and it might be teaching us all the wrong lessons about love.

    See the show notes at timharford.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    42 minutos
  • The Angels, The Stones and The Dead
    Feb 6 2026

    In the final days of the Sixties, The Rolling Stones join forces with other rock legends to plan a free concert at Altamont Speedway that will rival Woodstock. The "bad boys of rock" don't have the warmest relationship with the police, so they choose another option for security: The Hells Angels. They're both anti-establishment, they're both counterculture: what could possibly go wrong?

    See the show notes at timharford.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    39 minutos
  • Powered by Orgasm: The Rise and Fall of a Sex Cult - with Ellen Huet
    Jan 30 2026

    Run by the charismatic Nicole Deadone, OneTaste billed itself as a sexual wellness startup celebrating the power of female orgasm. But behind the celebrity endorsements and promises of healing, lay a darker reality. When Bloomberg journalist Ellen Huet began to dig into the organisation, she uncovered financial, emotional and sexual exploitation of its members, many of whom would call the company a cult. Huet, author of Empire of Orgasm, joins Tim to discuss why we should beware people promising pleasure, and what we can learn from the rise and fall of OneTaste.

    This episode contains explicit content from the beginning, and is not suitable for children.

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    41 minutos
  • The WOW Machine Stops (Pt 2)
    Jan 23 2026

    Tony Hsieh, the billionaire CEO of Zappos, is passionate about community. He pours his time, energy and fortune into building a network of like-minded people - first in Las Vegas, then Park City, Utah. But Tony's quest to build connection soon spirals into isolation, addiction and mistrust of those closest to him, revealing a contradictory truth about the pursuit of one of our most fundamental human needs.

    WARNING: This episode discusses death by suicide. If you are suffering emotional distress or having suicidal thoughts, support is available - for example, from the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline in the US, or the Samaritans in the UK on 116 123

    See the show notes at timharford.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    40 minutos
  • Shoes, Booze and the Pursuit of Happiness (Pt 1)
    Jan 16 2026

    They say the company Zappos is harder to get into than Harvard. Zappos may sell shoes, but its mission is to deliver WOW through a fun-focused company culture, making it one of the most coveted places to work in America. At the centre is CEO Tony Hsieh, obsessed with the hunt for happiness and driven by increasingly bold - and strange - ideas about how to find it.

    See the show notes at timharford.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    39 minutos
  • Liar, Bigamist, Brute: How Isaac Singer Liberated Women
    Jan 9 2026

    The sewing machine was once thought to be an impossible invention. It was such a complicated contraption that it would take more than one inventor, with more than one good idea, to make it work. Each of these inventors, including the notorious Isaac Singer, wanted the credit (and the fortune that came with it) for themselves. And so began the sewing machine war: a mire of backstabbing, stealing and misogyny.

    See the show notes at timharford.com

    See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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    38 minutos