Sherlock Holmes is known for approaching all mysteries with cool logic - and yet when his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle saw photographs taken by two young girls purporting to show real life fairies at play... he unwisely declared them genuine.

How did Elsie and Frances fool so many people with their photography... and why did they keep the hoax going for decades?

For a full list of sources go to timharford.com

Sherlock Holmes is known for approaching all mysteries with cool logic - and yet when his creator Sir Arthur Conan Doyle saw photographs taken by two young girls purporting to show real life fairies at play... he unwisely declared them genuine. How did Elsie and Frances fool so many people with their photography... and why did they keep the hoax going for decades? For a full list of sources go to <a href="https://timharford.com/">timharford.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.

Photographing Fairies (Classic)

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/620e5849-60a7-49f9-a65b-b3bb0113a847/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

This episode comes to you from Unexplained, the podcast that explores mysterious and haunting true stories.

In 2009, during the war in Afghanistan, eight marines are tasked with occupying an isolated outpost known as The Rock. For those marines, the war is going to become stranger than any of them could have imagined.

Unexplained is available wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode comes to you from Unexplained, the podcast that explores mysterious and haunting true stories.
In 2009, during the war in Afghanistan, eight marines are tasked with occupying an isolated outpost known as The Rock. For those marines, the war is going to become stranger than any of them could have imagined.
<a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unexplained/id1078112813">Unexplained</a> is available wherever you get your podcasts.

Introducing... Unexplained: Lying in Wait

https://api.omny.fm/orgs/e73c998e-6e60-432f-8610-ae210140c5b1/clips/d34f4d57-0dc0-4d50-a4bc-b4f0002b279b/transcript

Photographing Fairies (Classic)

In 1 playlist(s)

Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

Social links

Follow podcast

Recent clips