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Podcast

Tim Harford tells the fascinating stories of inventions, ideas and innovations which have helped create the economic world.

Updated: weekly
Episodes available: indefinitely

Episodes to download

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    Solar PV

    Sat 24 Aug 2019

    How important is solar power to the future of the planet?

  • Cassava

    Sat 17 Aug 2019

    A toxic plant that sheds light on hidden social forces

  • Fire

    Sat 10 Aug 2019

    Does the story of economics really begin with a spark?

  • RFID: The tech you鈥檝e never heard of 鈥� but use every day

    Sat 3 Aug 2019

    Radio frequency identification is the foundation of many contactless technologies

  • Postage stamp

    Sat 27 Jul 2019

    How a disgruntled customer revolutionised the postal service

  • Rubber

    Sat 20 Jul 2019

    An everyday substance with a bloody past

  • CubeSat

    Sat 13 Jul 2019

    How a student engineering challenge has changed the way we use space

  • Factory

    Sat 6 Jul 2019

    Have factories made workers' lives better?

  • Blockchain

    Sat 29 Jun 2019

    How powerful could the technology behind Bitcoin be?

  • Pencil

    Sat 22 Jun 2019

    Is the pencil underrated?

  • 'Like' button

    Sat 15 Jun 2019

    Are we addicted to getting 'likes' on social media?

  • Dwarf wheat

    Sat 8 Jun 2019

    Feeding a hungry world 鈥� how Norman Borlaug used genetics to tackle predicted famines

  • Pornography

    Sat 1 Jun 2019

    Did pornography help develop the internet?

  • Recycling

    Sat 25 May 2019

    Could recycling save cash, as well as the planet?

  • Spreadsheet

    Sat 18 May 2019

    How a grid on a computer screen gives us a glimpse of the future of automation

  • Brick

    Sat 11 May 2019

    The humble brick has housed us for thousands of years - will it endure?

  • Mail order catalogue

    Sat 4 May 2019

    How the Montgomery Ward shopping catalogue transformed the middle-class way of life

  • Bicycle

    Sat 27 Apr 2019

    Has the bicycle had its day, or is it a technology whose best years lie ahead?

  • QWERTY

    Sat 20 Apr 2019

    From the early typewriters, the QWERTY keyboard layout has stood the test of time

  • Bonus 4: Woodpecker and black box

    Mon 15 Apr 2019

    The last bonus ep of #30Animals. For more, search for 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter

  • Gyroscope

    Sat 13 Apr 2019

    The gyroscope: a remarkable device used to guide everything from submarines to satellites

  • Bonus 3: Mosquito and surgical needle

    Mon 8 Apr 2019

    Episode 3 of our new podcast: the blood-sucking pest and a pain-free surgical needle

  • Cellophane

    Sat 6 Apr 2019

    Cellophane transformed how consumers purchased food, as well as how producers sold it

  • Bonus 2: Octopus and camouflage

    Mon 1 Apr 2019

    Episode 2 of our new podcast, 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter

  • Langstroth Hive

    Sat 30 Mar 2019

    The Langstroth Hive: a wooden box that made the industrialisation of the bee possible

  • Bonus: 30 Animals That Made Us Smarter

    Mon 25 Mar 2019

    Introducing our new podcast about innovation, technology and the animal kingdom

  • Coming soon: Season two

    Mon 18 Mar 2019

    Fifty more things are on their way! Tim Harford returns with season two on 25 March 2019

  • Special Bonus: Santa Claus

    Sun 23 Dec 2018

    Why does Father Christmas wear red and white? It is not for the reason you may think

  • Number 51

    Sat 28 Oct 2017

    Revealed 鈥� the winning 51st Thing! Which 鈥渢hing鈥� won the vote to be added to our list?

  • The Plough

    Sat 21 Oct 2017

    The plough kick-started civilisation 鈥� and ultimately made our modern economy possible

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