Best Steven Levitt Podcasts (2025)

1
“I love being the person who doesn’t know anything” - Why Steven Levitt has swapped academia for podcasting 40:18

13d ago40:18

40:18

20 years ago, a book called Freakonomics became an instant bestseller and worldwide sensation. Tim Harford got his hands on the first copy that Steve Levitt ever signed... and promptly sold it on eBay. In this Cautionary Conversation, the pair are reunited to discuss the Freakonomics phenomenon, why Levitt left the hostile world of academia, and ho…

1
Presenting: You Must Remember This - Alfred Hitchcock 1:06:13

6d ago1:06:13

1:06:13

Here's a special episode from our friends at You Must Remember This. Hitchcock’s most iconic decade— a decade of Technicolor grandeur and peril inflicted on famous blondes—came to an end in 1964 with Marnie, a critical and box office flop which wounded Hitchcock’s ego and left him unsure how to move forward in a changing world. His four final films…

1
The Old Man and the Wrecking Crew 38:40

21d ago38:40

38:40

When Britain entered its first Covid-19 lockdown in March 2020, many found comfort in evoking the British wartime spirit. A timely hero emerged - Captain Tom Moore, a WWII veteran who walked up and down his garden to raise money for frontline nurses. But when the fundraising switched to a new charity, did anyone think to check where was the money w…

1
Houdini: The Phone Call from the Coffin (Part 3) 40:54

28d ago40:54

40:54

Fearing for his life, Harry Houdini leaves secret codes with his loved ones, promising to use them in any post-mortem messaging. In 1926, Houdini's death shocks the world, but the news that follows is even more astounding. A report of the impossible: contact has been made. For a full list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com. Get ad-fre…

1
Houdini's Detective and her 1500 Dead Husbands (Part 2) 41:49

1M ago41:49

41:49

Harry Houdini finds an ally in his fight against spiritualism, a brilliant detective called Rose Mackenberg, who'll do whatever it takes to expose a fake. Together, the two head to Washington to try and get lawmakers to criminalise mediums. The hearing that follows will be violent, sensational and leave Houdini fearing for his life. This is the sec…

1
Houdini: A Message from the Spirits (Part 1) 43:00

1M ago43:00

43:00

Harry Houdini is remembered today for his legendary escapes and illusions, but he also had a lifelong obsession with the paranormal. After dabbling in fake seances himself, Houdini made it his mission to uncover frauds and expose mediums. This would put him on a collision course with his spiritualist friend, Arthur Conan Doyle, and leave him fearin…

1
Would You Trust a Gangster Nanny? - Cautionary Questions with Rachel Botsman 41:04

2M ago41:04

41:04

Do we trust our fitness trackers too much? How do fraudsters gain our faith? Why do people trust podcasters? And would you trust a drug dealing nanny with a tambourine? Tim Harford is joined by trust expert Rachel Botsman to answer your questions. Rachel lectures in trust at Oxford University and her new audiobook How To Trust and Be Trusted is ava…

1
Lights, Camera, Tax Break 39:25

2M ago39:25

39:25

When Ernest Borgnine gets his big break in Hollywood, he can hardly believe his luck. But soon he discovers his supposed star vehicle, Marty, is not the dream gig he thought it was. In this episode of Cautionary Tales, recorded live at the Bristol Festival of Economics, Tim Harford examines what happens when the murky world of tax avoidance collide…

1
The Nursery Rhyme That Ruined a Rock Band 38:17

2M ago38:17

38:17

"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. By 2007, it had been earning Men At Work a steady stream of royalties for nearly 30 years. That was when a quiz show pointed out the song's subtle connection with an Australian nursery rhyme... T…

1
The Widow Who Disrupted Champagne (with Ben Walter) 20:58

2M ago20:58

20:58

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. Her namesake brand Veuve Clicquot revolutionized the champagne industry in the 19th century. Tim and Ben look at how she defied expectations and built one of the most iconic businesses i…

1
The Thrill and the Drop: A First Date Rollercoaster 39:05

2M ago39:05

39:05

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 and, as they reach the highe…

1
Dr. Brinkley's Miracle Cure For Impotence (with Betwixt The Sheets) 38:25

3M ago38:25

38:25

Cautionary Conversation: In the 1920s, a conman convinced America that goat testicles were the secret to male virility. Tim Harford and Dr Kate Lister (Betwixt the Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society) dive into the bizarre and grisly tale of "Doctor" John Brinkley. This snake oil salesman mobilised the power of radio marketing to build an…

1
The Night of the Mugger 42:19

3M ago42:19

42:19

Winston Trew has just been arrested for mugging. It's 1972 and the crime has recently made its way to Britain from the United States. Dangerous thugs, replicating their American counterparts, have made the city of London their hunting ground - so Winston's eventual conviction is a win for the police, and for the press. The problem is, 22-year-old W…

1
Missing on "Dead Mountain": A Cold War Cold Case 46:14

3M ago46:14

46:14

In the bleak Russian winter of 1959, nine experienced hikers led by Igor Dyatlov set out on an expedition. None of them made it back alive. When their campsite was finally discovered, it told a chilling story: their tent was slashed open, bodies scattered across the snow. The hikers' injuries were as baffling as they were gruesome. One had had his …

1
The Science of Running | Insights from a Clinical Biomechanist 1:00:36

3M ago1:00:36

1:00:36

In this week’s episode Stuart had the opportunity to meet with a clinical biomechanist and physical therapist with a PhD in bio mechanics, Irene Davis. She was previously at Harvard medical school and founded the Spalding National Running Center, and she is now at the school of physical therapy and rehab sciences at the University of South Florida.…

1
Frozen in a Burning 747 (Tenerife Air Disaster 2) 36:35

3M ago36:35

36:35

Two airplanes have just collided on the runway at Tenerife Airport. While no one on the Amsterdam-bound KLM plane survives the resulting fireball, 71 Pan-Am passengers and crew make it off their plane. But could it have been more? Why did so many Pan-Am passengers die, even though they weren’t injured by the initial collision and their plane was st…

1
Cleared For Take-Off? (Tenerife Air Disaster 1) 32:36

3M ago32:36

32:36

“Evacuate the airport, we’ve planted bombs,” a terrorist tells the telephone operator at the airport in Gran Canaria, in 1977. By the end of that day, 583 people will have lost their lives – but not to a bomb explosion. The planes are diverted to the neighboring island of Tenerife. Loaded with passengers, they’re forced to sit on the hot tarmac for…

1
Do NOT Pass GO! (Classic) 35:58

4M ago35:58

35:58

Cautionary Tales returns with new episodes on January 10th. Lizzie J. Magie (played by Helena Bonham Carter) should be celebrated as the inventor of what would become Monopoly. But, even though she had a patent, her role in creating the smash hit board game was cynically ignored. Discrimination has marred the careers of many inventors and excluded …

1
Katie with The Running Hub | Marathon and Distance Coaching Tips 52:59

4M ago52:59

52:59

Our hosts, Katie and Stuart, had the pleasure of meeting with running coach and marathon trainer, Katie Down from The Running Hub. Listen to these 3 discuss online coaching, nutrition support, and a community for runners of all levels. Katie Down and her team offer personalized training plans, live and on-demand classes, and a supportive network to…

1
Demonizing Dungeons & Dragons (Classic) 37:46

4M ago37:46

37:46

When James Dallas Egbert III was reported missing from his college dorm in 1979, one of America's most flamboyant private detectives was summoned to solve the case. "Dallas" faced the same problems as many teenagers, but P.I. William Dear stoked fears that he might have fallen under the evil spell of a mysterious and sinister game: Dungeons & Drago…

1
Captain Coward and the Blame Game 36:51

5M ago36:51

36:51

Off the coast of an Italian island, an enormous cruise ship - seventeen floors high, three soccer pitches long - is tilting noticeably to one side. The local mayor is horrified: there are thousands of people on board the Costa Concordia, and it's only a matter of time before the ship capsizes altogether. How did a routine trip go so terribly wrong?…

1
Get Happier, Help Others: Some Good Ideas About Giving 51:51

5M ago51:51

51:51

It's the season of giving: colorful paper and shiny bows, sure, and charitable giving, too. In this special episode, Jacob Goldstein, the host of What's Your Problem, gets smart about donating. Did you know that spending money on others makes you happier than spending money on yourself? Or that altruistic nerds have discovered four of the most impa…

1
RoboPod and the Perpetual Money Machine - Cautionary Questions 2 42:41

5M ago42:41

42:41

What really drove the 2008 financial crash? What’s a shadow bank? And what’s the connection between NIMBYs and BANANAs? Tim Harford and Jacob Goldstein answer more of your questions. Do you have a question for Tim? Please send it in to [email protected]. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

1
The Science of Running | Recovery, Training, and Peak Performance with Lindsey Parry 46:36

5M ago46:36

46:36

In this episode Stuart had the privilege of speaking with South African Lindsey Parry, who is a very renowned coach of runners, from marathon runners of the professional/olympic level, to your average, middle of the pack runners. He was a fairly competitive school athlete who was always interested in all kinds of sports, which all included running,…

1
Darwin's Grandpa and the Art of Sex Appeal 40:59

6M ago40:59

40:59

Charles Darwin was stumped by peacocks. According to his theory of evolution, some creatures were better equipped to survive in their particular environment than others. It explained a lot - but it didn't explain the peacock's brightly coloured tail feathers, which were extravagant and cumbersome. Surely such plumage made it harder for peacocks to …

1
The Edinburgh Body Snatchers: Murder at Halloween 41:47

6M ago41:47

41:47

In 1827, Edinburgh, Scotland was a world centre for anatomical study, but there was a shortage of cadavers for medical students to dissect. Two men, William Burke and William Hare, spotted a grim business opportunity. They began sourcing bodies - by any means possible... In this episode of Cautionary Tales - recorded live at the Podcast Show in Lon…

1
Healing Through Simplicity | Yoshua Greenfield on Music, Barefoot Living, and Mindfulness 54:26

6M ago54:26

54:26

Listen to Katie and Stuart who had the pleasure of talking to Yoshua Greenfield, who is a holistic lifestyle guide who helps people reconnect with their authentic selves through practices like mindful cooking, barefoot living, and music as a tool for healing. He offers workshops, retreats, and free resources that promote simplicity, self-awareness,…

1
Cautionary Tales Presents: Death Fraud and Other Risky Business 48:19

6M ago48:19

48:19

Tim Harford joined Nate Silver and Maria Konnikova on their podcast Risky Business to discuss two of history’s most compelling swindlers: Sam Israel III and John Law. We hope you enjoy this episode of Risky Business. It's available wherever you listen to podcasts. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

1
The Poet Who Toppled The British Empire 43:53

7M ago43:53

43:53

India, 1930. Sarojini Naidu is marching towards a British-controlled saltwork; behind her is a long column of protestors all dressed in white. The great campaigner for India's Independence, Gandhi, is now in jail. In his place, he's chosen Naidu to lead this movement against the hard and fearsome British Empire. Naidu and her marchers want change, …

1
Mastering Movement | From Circus Arts to Stunt Work with Yuri Marmerstein 50:55

7M ago50:55

50:55

We have a very special guest on the Barefoot Science podcast today by the name of Yuri Marmerstein, who has performed extensively as an acrobat, is very much involved in teaching the physical arts, and he has veered into stunt work with film and TV. Surprisingly, Yuri wasn’t very active as a child and the skills that he now has were mainly all deve…

1
Back on Track | Stephanie Mellinger on Healing Through Movement 1:02:20

7M ago1:02:20

1:02:20

Katie and Stuart talk to special guest Stephanie Mellinger, a back pain exercise specialist. She’s a certified personal trainer who's passionate about helping those with back pain find joy in movement again. After a personal journey overcoming a debilitating back injury, our guest discovered the powerful benefits of strength training in the healing…

1
Reason, Wrath and Rebellion on the High Seas 41:14

7M ago41:14

41:14

Early morning, April 1789. Captain Bligh is abruptly dragged from his cabin. Wrists bound, bayonet pressed to his chest, he and a few loyal sailors are forced into a tiny launch and set adrift on the vast Pacific Ocean. This far from land, no-one is likely to survive for long. History remembers Captain Bligh as a cruel, petty tyrant. The reality is…

1
Steel and Kindness: Clash of the Skyscrapers 39:49

7M ago39:49

39:49

Paul Starrett has just won a major building contract. If everything goes according to plan, this will be the tallest building in the world. But will everything go according to plan? This prestigious new project will have Starrett's biggest workforce yet. Everyone will need to pull together, but labour relations in the United States have been rough.…

1
The Nice Guy, the Bully and the Kiss 39:13

7M ago39:13

39:13

Leo Durocher would stop at nothing to win. The baseball player-turned-manager was a skilled tactician and famously tough. But he also cheated, intimidated umpires and was violent; he was even known to beat up fans. Durocher was famous for coining the phrase "nice guys finish last" - but is that really true? Tim Harford and David Bodanis examine les…

1
Tim's Tolkien Obsession & Amazon Prime's The Rings of Power 45:07

8M ago45:07

45:07

Tim Harford's life has been building up to this moment. In this Cautionary Conversation, he discusses the works of his favorite author J.R.R. Tolkien and the social science at play in Amazon Prime's series The Rings of Power. What do elves and whistleblowers have in common? How can evil hide in plain sight? And where do orcs come from? Season 2 of …

1
A Deep Dive into Natural Running with Ken Bob Saxton | Step Lightly 1:09:29

8M ago1:09:29

1:09:29

On this week’s episode, Katie talks to the barefoot running sensation and “original” barefoot runner, Ken Bob Saxton. When Ken Bob began racing exclusively barefoot in 1997, he found that people had a lot of questions, so he decided to compile all his answers in one place, which led him to founding the website barefootrunning.com in 1997. Ken is so…

1
Barefoot Benefits | Unlocking Peak Performance Through Foot Function 1:06:03

8M ago1:06:03

1:06:03

Today Katie and Stuart have a lovely guest from the United States named Heidi van Mastrigt, who is a fitness trainer that focuses massively on foot function and myofascial tissue function as well. The feet are our one point of contact with the ground. Everything starts with the feet. Heidi learned this the hard way from breaking her foot at the pea…

1
The Human Guinea Pigs of Camp Lazear 40:17

8M ago40:17

40:17

Young doctor Jesse Lazear has deadly Yellow Fever. He thrashes around and convulses in his sick bed, and his vomit is black. He is just 34 when he dies. Curiously, mosquito expert Lazear was researching the disease when he became ill. Some historians think his infection wasn't an accident, and that he was secretly experimenting on himself... Today,…

1
Embracing the Escape Fire (with Adam Grant) 36:52

9M ago36:52

36:52

Cautionary Conversation: Steve Jobs hated his phone so much that he smashed it against a wall. He also referred to mobile carriers as "orifices". Yet he went on to invent the world's most popular smartphone. Why did he change his mind? Tim Harford and organizational psychologist Adam Grant (Think Again, Hidden Potential) discuss the consequences of…

1
Michael Adeniran’s Journey into Endurance Sports | Balancing Running, Strength Training, and High Endurance Sports 46:48

9M ago46:48

46:48

Today Stuart and Katie had the opportunity to talk with Michael Adeniran, who is a weekend warrior as they call it. A while back he got into running, and then triathlons, ultra running, iron mans, Spartan races, obstacle courses, and so forth. He’s got a lot of experience now with all these different events and with that, a substantial amount of wi…

1
Cautionary Tales Presents Vultures from Lost Hills: Dark Canyon 37:15

9M ago37:15

37:15

The disappearance and death of Mitrice Richardson remains Malibu, CA’s most baffling unsolved case. It’s been nearly 14 years since her remains were discovered in a remote canyon, and still, no one has been held accountable for her demise. To this day, her death remains an unsolved mystery. The truth lies in the remote Malibu community where Mitric…

1
Flying Too High: AI and Air France Flight 447 40:40

9M ago40:40

40:40

Panic has erupted in the cockpit of Air France Flight 447. The pilots are convinced they’ve lost control of the plane. It’s lurching violently. Then, it begins plummeting from the sky at breakneck speed, careening towards catastrophe. The pilots are sure they’re done-for. Only, they haven’t lost control of the aircraft at all: one simple manoeuvre …

1
Run, Switzer, Run: The Women Who Broke the Marathon Taboo 36:18

10M ago36:18

36:18

Until the 1960s, it was deemed too "dangerous" for women athletes to run distances longer than 200m - and a marathon would kill them, or leave them unable to have children. Rubbish, of course. But when Kathrine Switzer signed up for the 1967 Boston Marathon, it wasn't the distance that bothered her - it was the enraged race director trying to assau…

1
Adidas v Puma: A Battle of Boots and Brothers 39:42

10M ago39:42

39:42

Adi and Rudi Dassler made sports shoes together - until a feud erupted between them. They set up competing companies, Adidas and Puma, and their bitter rivalry divided the sporting world, their family and even the inhabitants of their home town. The Dassler clan turned bickering into an art form - even drawing the likes of soccer legend Pele into t…

1
The Revenge of the Whales 38:06

11M ago38:06

38:06

In the middle of the Pacific Ocean, in 1819, Owen Chase is standing on a slowly sinking ship. It's just been headbutted by an 85 foot whale. It's taking in water. And now the creature is coming back for another go. This is a whaling ship, and Chase is convinced that he observes "fury and vengeance" in the animal. In 2010, an orca is performing for …

1
Meet Reese David Jones | Ultra Runner and Triathlete Extraordinaire 48:54

11M ago48:54

48:54

We’ve got a lovely young gentleman from Utah by the name of Reese David Jones joining us today who is a runner, a tri-athlete, an all around fitness fanatic, and has a professional career on the side making a living as a salesman. Reese ran 10 marathons in 10 days, which blew both Katie and Stuart away and is hard to fathom, but that’s just the kin…

1
Breaking the Injury Cycle | Jason Fitzgerald on Overcoming Setbacks 50:29

11M ago50:29

50:29

Today Stuart and Katie have a very quick marathon runner (sub 2:40) as a guest by the name of Jason Fitzgerald. He is an extensive writer of articles about endurance running and has his own website by the name of Strength Running. After finishing the 2008 New York City Marathon in 2:44, Jason developed a severe ITB injury. He was sidelined for six …

1
When the Robots Take Over... - Cautionary Questions 39:37

11M ago39:37

39:37

Tim Harford is joined by Jacob Goldstein to answer your questions. Does winning the lottery make you unhappy? Is Bitcoin bad for the economy? When does correlation imply causation? And what will Tim and Jacob do when the robot overlords come for their jobs? We love hearing from you, so please keep your questions coming: [email protected]. See omnyst…

1
Embracing Discomfort | Lessons from Endurance Athlete Jonathan Levitt 48:07

11M ago48:07

48:07

This week we are delighted to welcome our guest, Jonathan Levitt, who is currently in Boulder Colorado and a fantastic endurance athlete and cyclist. Jonathan didn’t always love running, but back in 2013, he did his first half marathon and steadily started to develop a love for it. He has a podcast focused on discovering why people run and delving …

1
Empowering Endurance | Taren Gesell's Training Revolution 39:23

11M ago39:23

39:23

Taren Gesell started out as a complete non-athlete who was 215lbs and couldn't run to the end of the block. He later became a top 1% in the world amateur triathlete and in the process shared everything he learned on the Triathlon Taren YouTube channel, which became the second largest triathlon YouTube channel in the world. He published four books a…

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