Lady Sale (played by Helena Bonham Carter) was part of a bloody and ignominious British retreat from Afghanistan in 1842. The arrogant colonial invaders had thought intervening in Afghan affairs and dominating the country would be easy - they were wrong. Lady Sale was among the lucky few to escape with her life.

Wiser heads later recommended "masterly inactivity" as a better course of action. In politics, parenting and even medicine - avoiding the temptation to act is a sadly neglected art form.

Read more about Tim's work at http://timharford.com/

 Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com

Lady Sale (played by Helena Bonham Carter) was part of a bloody and ignominious British retreat from Afghanistan in 1842. The arrogant colonial invaders had thought intervening in Afghan affairs and dominating the country would be easy - they were wrong. Lady Sale was among the lucky few to escape with her life.Wiser heads later recommended "masterly inactivity" as a better course of action. In politics, parenting and even medicine - avoiding the temptation to act is a sadly neglected art form.Read more about Tim's work at <a href="http://timharford.com/">http://timharford.com/</a> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com">https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com</a>

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups &ndash; and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of &ldquo;The Data Detective&rdquo;) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups – and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of “The Data Detective” and “The Undercover Economist”) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

We tell our children unsettling fairy tales to teach them valuable life lessons, but these Cautionary Tales are for the education of the grown ups &ndash; and they are all true. Tim Harford (Financial Times, BBC, author of &ldquo;The Data Detective&rdquo; and &ldquo;The Undercover Economist&rdquo;) brings you stories of awful human error, tragic catastrophes, daring heists and hilarious fiascos. They'll delight you, scare you, but also make you wiser. New episodes every Friday.

Masterly Inactivity Versus Micromanaging

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ed1c7958-6889-4b14-8221-ae39003ad739/transcript

For this special crossover episode, Tim is joined by the one and only Roman Mars to discuss his new series, A History Of The United States In 100 Objects. From a safe that stayed locked away for a century to a well-intentioned milk carton that terrified a nation, each item reveals a fascinating piece of American history - and comes with its very own cautionary tale.

Listen to A History Of The United States In 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed, or on BBC Sounds.

For this special crossover episode, Tim is joined by the one and only Roman Mars to discuss his new series, A History Of The United States In 100 Objects. From a safe that stayed locked away for a century to a well-intentioned milk carton that terrified a nation, each item reveals a fascinating piece of American history - and comes with its very own cautionary tale.
Listen to A History Of The United States In 100 Objects on the <a href="https://99percentinvisible.org/100-objects/" data-airgap-id="11">99% Invisible feed</a>, or on BBC Sounds.

Why Milk Cartons "Scared the Bejesus Out of a Generation" - with Roman Mars

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/1e0c9d16-5354-4a10-b2af-b4f90161fa29/transcript

In the late 1970s, Yorkshire miner Chris Campbell sees something that terrifies him. The spirit of a miner who died in a collapse is calling to him. Is the ghostly figure a waking dream, a trick of the light, or something we should take altogether more seriously?  

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

Cautionary Tales is celebrating Halloween with a full month of paranormal themed episodes. If you have a spooky story or a skeptical question, get in touch at tales@pushkin.fm. If you want access to an extra Halloween episode about the strange world of radio telepathy, alongside plenty of other benefits, check out the Cautionary Club on Patreon.

In the late 1970s, Yorkshire miner Chris Campbell sees something that terrifies him. The spirit of a miner who died in a collapse is calling to him. Is the ghostly figure a waking dream, a trick of the light, or something we should take altogether more seriously?&nbsp;&nbsp;
For a full list of sources, see the show notes at <a href="https://timharford.com/">timharford.com</a>
Cautionary Tales is celebrating Halloween with a full month of paranormal themed episodes. If you have a spooky story or a skeptical question, get in touch at tales@pushkin.fm. If you want access to an extra Halloween episode about the strange world of radio telepathy, alongside plenty of other benefits, check out the&nbsp;<a href="http://patreon.com/cautionaryclub" data-airgap-id="11">Cautionary Club</a> on Patreon.

Why Miners See Ghosts | Halloween Season 

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/ebb3c9a0-1133-4bd1-9262-b4f10119a10b/transcript

In 1612, a young woman encounters a pedlar in the British countryside. A seemingly trivial quarrel spirals into chaos when the pedlar is struck down by an unknown force, leading to one of Britain's most notorious witch trials.

Justice for Witches Campaign: https://charlottemeredith.co.uk/the-campaign/

For a full list of sources see the show notes at timharford.com

Cautionary Tales is celebrating Halloween with a full month of paranormal themed episodes. If you have a spooky story or a skeptical question, get in touch at tales@pushkin.fm. If you want access to an extra Halloween episode about the strange world of radio telepathy, alongside plenty of other benefits, check out the Cautionary Club on Patreon.

In 1612, a young woman encounters a pedlar in the British countryside. A seemingly trivial quarrel spirals into chaos when the pedlar is struck down by an unknown force, leading to one of Britain's most notorious witch trials.
Justice for Witches Campaign:&nbsp;<a href="https://charlottemeredith.co.uk/the-campaign/" data-airgap-id="11">https://charlottemeredith.co.uk/the-campaign/</a>
For a full list of sources see the show notes at <a href="https://timharford.com/">timharford.com</a>
Cautionary Tales is celebrating Halloween with a full month of paranormal themed episodes. If you have a spooky story or a skeptical question, get in touch at tales@pushkin.fm. If you want access to an extra Halloween episode about the strange world of radio telepathy, alongside plenty of other benefits, check out the&nbsp;<a href="http://patreon.com/cautionaryclub" data-airgap-id="12">Cautionary Club</a> on Patreon.

The Pedlar and the Witch | Halloween Season

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/6ad5895b-d8cf-4caf-a3f1-b4eb00e64f21/transcript

Masterly Inactivity Versus Micromanaging

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