Do NOT Pass GO!

In 1800s America, something terrifying is feeding on the quiet town of Exeter. As members of George Brown's family succumb one by one, the town considers drastic measures to protect the living from the dead. For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.com Cautionary T ...  Show more

In 1980s Southern England, intricate crop circles are appearing overnight, and people are desperate for an explanation. Could humans really create something so complex without anyone spotting them? The truth is out there! Actually, the truth is right here. The problem is getting ...  Show more

In 1904, a left-wing American feminist called Lizzy Magie patented a board game that evolved into what we now know as Monopoly. But 30 years later, when Monopoly was first marketed in the United States during the Great Depression, it was an out-of-work salesman from Pennsylvania ...  Show more

It's 1902 and political campaigner Lizzie Magie is fighting a losing battle. For years, she’s pushed the idea of a land-value tax, but fewer and fewer people are listening.So she’s going to try something new to spread the word. She’s going to make a board game – and not just any ...  Show more

Until recently, invention and patenting have been guy things, though not for women's lack of innovation. Cristen and Caroline discover the American history of women inventors and why the patent gender gap has been so challenging to close.

There's more to Monopoly than you might think. It's one of the best-selling board games in history — despite huge economic instability, sales actually went up during the pandemic — and it's been an iconic part of American life at other pivotal moments: a cheap pastime during the ...  Show more