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The Coup, the Poet and the Secret to Winning Wimbledon

The Coup, the Poet and the Secret to Winning Wimbledon

FromCautionary Tales with Tim Harford


The Coup, the Poet and the Secret to Winning Wimbledon

FromCautionary Tales with Tim Harford

ratings:
Length:
36 minutes
Released:
Jul 7, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Description

“If you can make one heap of all your winnings and risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss..."
Those words - from Rudyard Kipling's poem "If" - were based on charismatic nineteenth century doctor, Leander Starr Jameson. In Britain, Jameson was worshipped as a plucky hero: a bastion of courage and mental fortitude. Ironically, he was also responsible for the Jameson Raid, a South African coup that was an unmitigated disaster.
Kipling's champion might have spearheaded a fiasco - but could the poem "If" hold clues for triumph in another arena?See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Released:
Jul 7, 2023
Format:
Podcast episode

Titles in the series (100)

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. iHeartMedia is the exclusive podcast partner of Pushkin Industries.