The Inventor who Almost Ended the World (Classic) episode artwork

EPISODE · May 22, 2026 · 36 MIN

The Inventor who Almost Ended the World (Classic)

from Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford · host Pushkin Industries

Thomas Midgley's inventions caused his own death, hastened the deaths of millions of people around the world, and very nearly extinguished all life on land.  Midgley and his employers didn't set out to poison the air with leaded gasoline or wreck the ozone layer with CFCs - but while these dire consequences were unintended... could they have been anticipated? For a list of sources, see the show notes at timharford.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode metadata supplied by the publisher feed · Published May 22, 2026

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The Inventor who Almost Ended the World (Classic)

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