1 00:00:15,370 --> 00:00:25,450 Speaker 1: Pushkin. Hello Tim Harford here. I've been sitting on some 2 00:00:25,610 --> 00:00:29,690 Speaker 1: great ideas for gripping cautionary tales. Their stories full of 3 00:00:29,730 --> 00:00:33,770 Speaker 1: exactly the sort of instructive downfalls and disasters that I love, 4 00:00:34,410 --> 00:00:37,410 Speaker 1: but I've never quite found the right place to tell 5 00:00:37,450 --> 00:00:42,370 Speaker 1: them during our normal episodes. So I've created five Cautionary 6 00:00:42,410 --> 00:00:45,730 Speaker 1: Tales shorts. You're about to hear one of these bitesize 7 00:00:45,770 --> 00:00:49,410 Speaker 1: stories right now, but there are four more cautionary Tale 8 00:00:49,450 --> 00:00:54,010 Speaker 1: shorts available exclusively to Pushkin Plus subscribers to hear them. 9 00:00:54,290 --> 00:00:57,730 Speaker 1: Subscribe to Pushkin Plus in Apple Podcasts or at pushkin 10 00:00:57,850 --> 00:01:01,930 Speaker 1: dot Fm. You'll receive other bonus content and add free 11 00:01:01,970 --> 00:01:06,930 Speaker 1: listening on all Pushkin shows, including Cautionary Tales for Visionist History, 12 00:01:06,970 --> 00:01:16,210 Speaker 1: The Happiness Lab, Against the Rules, and many others. Enjoy Disneyland, 13 00:01:16,730 --> 00:01:21,850 Speaker 1: the Happiest Place on Earth December fifth, nineteen eighty five, 14 00:01:23,410 --> 00:01:27,250 Speaker 1: As a celebration of Walt Disney's birthday and the thirtieth 15 00:01:27,250 --> 00:01:32,250 Speaker 1: anniversary of Disneyland's opening, Disney release a world breaking flock 16 00:01:32,370 --> 00:01:36,770 Speaker 1: of helium balloons, more than one million soar into the 17 00:01:36,810 --> 00:01:46,210 Speaker 1: blue California sky, gladdening hearts everywhere. Hold my beard Disneyland, 18 00:01:46,610 --> 00:01:51,330 Speaker 1: says Cleveland, A million balloons isn't cool. You know what's cool, 19 00:01:52,730 --> 00:01:58,770 Speaker 1: two million balloons. Nine months later, excitement is building in 20 00:01:58,970 --> 00:02:05,410 Speaker 1: public Square in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Above the square, billooing 21 00:02:05,450 --> 00:02:08,610 Speaker 1: in a stiff breeze is a net filled with a 22 00:02:08,730 --> 00:02:16,490 Speaker 1: mind boggling mass of helium filled multicolored latex balloons. The 23 00:02:16,570 --> 00:02:22,530 Speaker 1: balloon mass oozes and bulges, eager for sweet release into 24 00:02:22,570 --> 00:02:29,770 Speaker 1: the gray, overcast Midwestern skies. I'm Tim Harford, and you're 25 00:02:29,810 --> 00:02:59,450 Speaker 1: listening to cautionary tales. When Disneyland had released those balloons, 26 00:03:00,010 --> 00:03:03,410 Speaker 1: Cleveland had been watching from the shores of Chili Lake Erie. 27 00:03:04,250 --> 00:03:08,170 Speaker 1: Cleveland had endured a lot a steel industry and decline, 28 00:03:08,570 --> 00:03:12,610 Speaker 1: a popular that had nearly halved, a river so polluted 29 00:03:12,650 --> 00:03:16,610 Speaker 1: that it regularly caught fire. People would sneer that the 30 00:03:16,690 --> 00:03:20,650 Speaker 1: wants proud city of Cleveland was the mistake on the lake. 31 00:03:22,690 --> 00:03:25,890 Speaker 1: But by the mid nineteen eighties, Cleveland was fighting back, 32 00:03:26,410 --> 00:03:29,530 Speaker 1: securing tourist attractions such as the Rock and Roll Hall 33 00:03:29,570 --> 00:03:34,850 Speaker 1: of Fame and well, what about a Disneyland style balloon release. 34 00:03:35,610 --> 00:03:39,530 Speaker 1: Cleveland's branch of the nonprofit United Way is behind the 35 00:03:39,610 --> 00:03:42,850 Speaker 1: quest to break the Guinness World Record for a mass 36 00:03:42,890 --> 00:03:47,090 Speaker 1: release of balloons. The idea is that local kids will 37 00:03:47,130 --> 00:03:51,010 Speaker 1: collect sponsorship for each balloon, and everyone knows that the 38 00:03:51,130 --> 00:03:54,450 Speaker 1: record breaking balloon release is about much more than raising 39 00:03:54,490 --> 00:04:02,450 Speaker 1: money for good causes. It's about civic pride. Beneath the hovering, 40 00:04:02,690 --> 00:04:06,570 Speaker 1: gelatinous form of the balloon mass, more than two thousand 41 00:04:06,650 --> 00:04:11,850 Speaker 1: young volunteers are inflating, knotting, and then releasing each newly 42 00:04:11,970 --> 00:04:17,970 Speaker 1: buoyant balloon to join the angry swarm lowering overhead. Many 43 00:04:18,010 --> 00:04:20,810 Speaker 1: of them wear tape on their fingers in an effort 44 00:04:20,930 --> 00:04:24,890 Speaker 1: to prevent blisters. For those blisters usually come anyway. After 45 00:04:24,930 --> 00:04:28,770 Speaker 1: the sixth or seven hundredth balloon of the day, there 46 00:04:28,930 --> 00:04:35,050 Speaker 1: is no art without suffering. The local TV station is 47 00:04:35,130 --> 00:04:39,810 Speaker 1: buzzing with excitement. The distinctive Cleveland TV hosts Chuck Shadowski 48 00:04:39,930 --> 00:04:42,890 Speaker 1: and John Rinaldi of The Big Chuck and Little John 49 00:04:42,930 --> 00:04:47,410 Speaker 1: Show are there on the scenes interviewing the organizers, the children, 50 00:04:47,570 --> 00:04:51,330 Speaker 1: and the excited crowd. Mary Ellen is one of them. 51 00:04:51,450 --> 00:04:54,890 Speaker 1: She's an elderly lady in a two toned stripy blue dress. 52 00:04:55,490 --> 00:04:58,890 Speaker 1: She had brought two bunches of green and pink helium 53 00:04:58,930 --> 00:05:02,290 Speaker 1: balloons to donate to the effort, but attached one of 54 00:05:02,330 --> 00:05:05,850 Speaker 1: those bunches to her watch strap. The strap came loose 55 00:05:06,490 --> 00:05:09,930 Speaker 1: and the balloons stole her watch away into the sky. 56 00:05:13,290 --> 00:05:17,690 Speaker 1: TV host Big Chuck from behind the finest tinted aviator 57 00:05:17,730 --> 00:05:21,690 Speaker 1: shades that nineteen eighty six can offer, sympathizes with Mary Ellen. 58 00:05:22,330 --> 00:05:25,130 Speaker 1: If anybody finds Mary Ellen's watch tied to a bunch 59 00:05:25,130 --> 00:05:28,330 Speaker 1: of balloons like this, announce his Big Chuck live on air. 60 00:05:28,730 --> 00:05:31,170 Speaker 1: If you return it to the station, we'll have all 61 00:05:31,250 --> 00:05:37,810 Speaker 1: kinds of rewards for you, all kinds of rewards. And 62 00:05:38,090 --> 00:05:41,570 Speaker 1: there we see the whole Cleveland balloon fest in miniature, 63 00:05:42,330 --> 00:05:45,410 Speaker 1: a well meaning gesture, a bit of bad luck, a 64 00:05:45,530 --> 00:05:51,210 Speaker 1: rather predictable mishap, and extremely vague promises of good things 65 00:05:51,250 --> 00:05:56,530 Speaker 1: to come. Cleveland, it's your time, says Treb Hinding to 66 00:05:56,570 --> 00:06:03,290 Speaker 1: the TV cameras. It's time to say yes. Treb is 67 00:06:03,450 --> 00:06:07,450 Speaker 1: indisputably the best balloon guy on the planet. He's sitting 68 00:06:07,530 --> 00:06:10,770 Speaker 1: under the growing balloon cloud out on Cleveland's public Square, 69 00:06:11,090 --> 00:06:14,170 Speaker 1: looking sharp in a flat white cap, blue blazer and 70 00:06:14,250 --> 00:06:18,690 Speaker 1: red tie. Treb has the fastest balloon hands in the world. 71 00:06:19,250 --> 00:06:21,930 Speaker 1: Armed with a helium hose. He can inflate and tie 72 00:06:22,050 --> 00:06:26,610 Speaker 1: a thousand balloons an hour. He's from California. He worked 73 00:06:26,610 --> 00:06:30,250 Speaker 1: on the Disneyland balloon release. Now he's in charge of 74 00:06:30,410 --> 00:06:34,410 Speaker 1: Cleveland's attempt to break the record. As he speaks to 75 00:06:34,450 --> 00:06:38,010 Speaker 1: the camera, cruise balloon after balloon rises in the background 76 00:06:38,530 --> 00:06:45,010 Speaker 1: to join its roiling siblings above. Treb has definitely read 77 00:06:45,050 --> 00:06:49,450 Speaker 1: the memo about Cleveland's civic pride. It's time to say 78 00:06:49,490 --> 00:06:52,370 Speaker 1: it's a happening city where on the move. It's no 79 00:06:52,610 --> 00:06:56,410 Speaker 1: longer the butt of jokes. In his months working on 80 00:06:56,450 --> 00:06:59,010 Speaker 1: the project, Treb Hining seems to have picked up a 81 00:06:59,090 --> 00:07:05,330 Speaker 1: certain energy from his colleagues. An inflated inferiority complex and 82 00:07:05,530 --> 00:07:09,210 Speaker 1: Treb and his two million balloons, well, they're going to help. 83 00:07:10,130 --> 00:07:13,610 Speaker 1: Those balloons will bring, as Big Chuck might say, all 84 00:07:13,810 --> 00:07:17,290 Speaker 1: kinds of rewards. I've been in this city for six 85 00:07:17,370 --> 00:07:22,170 Speaker 1: months and I absolutely love it, Treb continues. My wife 86 00:07:22,170 --> 00:07:24,410 Speaker 1: and I have even talked of moving here, and our 87 00:07:24,490 --> 00:07:28,770 Speaker 1: friends in La think we're nuts. Treb, maybe stop now, 88 00:07:29,330 --> 00:07:32,130 Speaker 1: but it is a wonderful place. If I had money 89 00:07:32,170 --> 00:07:37,010 Speaker 1: to invest, this is where ar'd be invested. Treb's team 90 00:07:37,090 --> 00:07:41,050 Speaker 1: have built a formidable temporary structure with a one piece net. 91 00:07:41,850 --> 00:07:45,050 Speaker 1: Every newspaper report notes that this net was made by 92 00:07:45,050 --> 00:07:48,490 Speaker 1: the guys who also made cargo nets for the Space Shuttle. 93 00:07:49,130 --> 00:07:52,330 Speaker 1: It's designed to withstand a sixty mile per hour wind. 94 00:07:53,010 --> 00:07:57,410 Speaker 1: But September weather in Cleveland isn't as predictable as the 95 00:07:57,450 --> 00:08:01,850 Speaker 1: weather at Disneyland. The night before the big release, a 96 00:08:01,890 --> 00:08:08,970 Speaker 1: sudden storm blew in out on the lake. The way 97 00:08:09,090 --> 00:08:13,610 Speaker 1: eaves swelled alarmingly. Small boats hurried to get to shore. 98 00:08:13,890 --> 00:08:18,330 Speaker 1: It was frightening. One boat didn't return, and the coast 99 00:08:18,330 --> 00:08:21,650 Speaker 1: guard headed out to try to find two missing fishermen. 100 00:08:24,450 --> 00:08:27,450 Speaker 1: Even in the safety of the city, the storm was 101 00:08:27,570 --> 00:08:31,050 Speaker 1: gusting at ninety miles an hour. As it hit Public Square, 102 00:08:31,370 --> 00:08:35,210 Speaker 1: where the balloons were being stored. It was like a 103 00:08:35,330 --> 00:08:38,970 Speaker 1: mini tornado, recalled one of the team, Things like chairs 104 00:08:39,010 --> 00:08:47,250 Speaker 1: were physically picked up and spun in circles. Yet when 105 00:08:47,250 --> 00:08:52,410 Speaker 1: the morning comes, but net is mostly intact. There are 106 00:08:52,450 --> 00:08:55,170 Speaker 1: a few rips, a few balloons might have fled out, 107 00:08:55,770 --> 00:08:59,330 Speaker 1: but nothing that will jeopardize the big day. But the 108 00:08:59,370 --> 00:09:02,330 Speaker 1: balloon release team are worried that a second storm is 109 00:09:02,370 --> 00:09:06,610 Speaker 1: forecast to hit. With the weather closing in the organizers 110 00:09:06,650 --> 00:09:10,930 Speaker 1: decide to stop filling the net. There aren't two million 111 00:09:10,970 --> 00:09:15,130 Speaker 1: balloons in there yet, but there are plenty, definitely more 112 00:09:15,170 --> 00:09:20,290 Speaker 1: than Disneyland. The balloon release begins with a mass countdown, 113 00:09:20,930 --> 00:09:32,810 Speaker 1: are you watching Mickey Mouse? Bah? Three? Two? Then with 114 00:09:32,970 --> 00:09:37,370 Speaker 1: cheers and whistles and screams of triumph. The net is 115 00:09:37,410 --> 00:09:41,770 Speaker 1: withdrawn and the balloons, every color of the rainbow, rise 116 00:09:42,010 --> 00:09:48,090 Speaker 1: into the air, but at a distance, the colors merge 117 00:09:48,370 --> 00:09:52,210 Speaker 1: to form a rusty cloud that royals around the city's 118 00:09:52,410 --> 00:09:57,850 Speaker 1: iconic terminal tower. It's not a beautiful sight. It looks 119 00:09:57,850 --> 00:10:04,050 Speaker 1: like blood released into water. It's unsettling. It was overwhelming. 120 00:10:04,410 --> 00:10:08,490 Speaker 1: Balloons start like boiling in the air, recalled the local reporter. 121 00:10:09,170 --> 00:10:12,890 Speaker 1: You thought, wow, we're going to drown in these balloons. 122 00:10:14,290 --> 00:10:17,690 Speaker 1: The TV presenter, little John Ronaldi, isn't going to let 123 00:10:17,730 --> 00:10:21,730 Speaker 1: the bilious storm cloud of balloons detract from the excitement. 124 00:10:26,490 --> 00:10:49,250 Speaker 1: He bellows, Cleveland, Gas, the Cleveland, All this in Cleveland. Indeed, 125 00:10:50,170 --> 00:10:54,090 Speaker 1: Cleveland has had its big build up. The balloons are free, 126 00:10:55,370 --> 00:11:03,770 Speaker 1: and now what. A few years ago, three psychologists Jeff Gallac, 127 00:11:04,090 --> 00:11:08,610 Speaker 1: Julian Givey, and Eleanor Williams examined the question of why 128 00:11:08,730 --> 00:11:14,090 Speaker 1: so many Christmas or Birthday gifts are a bit disappointing. 129 00:11:15,410 --> 00:11:18,370 Speaker 1: The researchers argued that while there were many ways in 130 00:11:18,370 --> 00:11:21,610 Speaker 1: which a gift might fall flat, there was a single 131 00:11:21,890 --> 00:11:27,170 Speaker 1: simple error behind them. All. When people bought gifts, they 132 00:11:27,210 --> 00:11:30,570 Speaker 1: thought about the moment at which the gift would be unwrapped, 133 00:11:31,090 --> 00:11:35,610 Speaker 1: the surprise, the delight, perhaps a grateful hug. All too 134 00:11:35,650 --> 00:11:41,330 Speaker 1: often they didn't think beyond that. This explains why people 135 00:11:41,370 --> 00:11:45,730 Speaker 1: give silly, joke gifts. It explains why they give stuff 136 00:11:45,890 --> 00:11:50,010 Speaker 1: rather than experiences. It's hard to gift wrap and experience. 137 00:11:51,010 --> 00:11:54,250 Speaker 1: And I think it also explains why the Cleveland balloon 138 00:11:54,330 --> 00:11:59,090 Speaker 1: Fest happened. The idea of releasing so many balloons, of 139 00:11:59,250 --> 00:12:02,730 Speaker 1: breaking the record, the sheer spectacle of the moment, it 140 00:12:02,810 --> 00:12:06,930 Speaker 1: seems so exciting. It's only after the balloons have been 141 00:12:06,970 --> 00:12:11,730 Speaker 1: released and the net droops flacidly to the ground that 142 00:12:11,850 --> 00:12:16,410 Speaker 1: you start to ask questions like where are those balloons 143 00:12:16,450 --> 00:12:20,610 Speaker 1: going to go? Are people actually going to start moving 144 00:12:20,650 --> 00:12:25,090 Speaker 1: back to Cleveland because of a balloon record? And don't 145 00:12:25,090 --> 00:12:28,250 Speaker 1: we love Disneyland because we love the characters and the 146 00:12:28,330 --> 00:12:32,330 Speaker 1: scenery and the rides rather than because it released a 147 00:12:32,370 --> 00:12:43,570 Speaker 1: million balloons. The wind and rain hit not long after 148 00:12:43,610 --> 00:12:47,170 Speaker 1: the balloon release, and the balloons started dropping out of 149 00:12:47,170 --> 00:12:51,010 Speaker 1: the sky as rapidly as they'd risen. There were reports 150 00:12:51,050 --> 00:12:54,570 Speaker 1: of a few minor traffic accidents, and the local airport 151 00:12:54,650 --> 00:12:57,610 Speaker 1: had to shut down a runway for a while. In 152 00:12:57,690 --> 00:13:01,970 Speaker 1: a nearby farm, thoroughbred horses injured themselves after being spooked 153 00:13:02,050 --> 00:13:06,490 Speaker 1: by the balloons. But the most obvious problem was the mess. 154 00:13:06,530 --> 00:13:10,490 Speaker 1: Cleveland was now covered in shreds of lay techs. As 155 00:13:10,530 --> 00:13:13,330 Speaker 1: for those cruel jibes about the mistake on the lake, 156 00:13:13,730 --> 00:13:18,170 Speaker 1: they were becoming uncomfortably accurate because gazing out over Lake 157 00:13:18,250 --> 00:13:23,850 Speaker 1: Erie from Cleveland, the water was covered in balloons. The 158 00:13:24,010 --> 00:13:27,410 Speaker 1: morning of the big release, the coast Guard found the 159 00:13:27,490 --> 00:13:31,730 Speaker 1: boat with the two missing fishermen, but the men themselves. 160 00:13:32,770 --> 00:13:38,050 Speaker 1: The search became impossible. Rescue teams were out on boats 161 00:13:38,090 --> 00:13:41,930 Speaker 1: scanning the water looking for a bright orange life jacket 162 00:13:42,090 --> 00:13:45,010 Speaker 1: or ahead bobbing in the waves amid a couple of 163 00:13:45,170 --> 00:13:52,410 Speaker 1: hundred thousand balloons. Eventually the search was abandoned. The bodies 164 00:13:52,450 --> 00:13:55,210 Speaker 1: of the missing fishermen washed ashore a few days later. 165 00:13:56,010 --> 00:13:59,370 Speaker 1: They were probably dead before the balloons were released, but 166 00:13:59,450 --> 00:14:02,450 Speaker 1: the widow of one of the men sued United Way 167 00:14:02,810 --> 00:14:07,210 Speaker 1: for over three million dollars. The case was settled out 168 00:14:07,210 --> 00:14:10,290 Speaker 1: of court. So two was a case brought by the 169 00:14:10,330 --> 00:14:15,570 Speaker 1: woman who owned those terrified prize horses. By then, of course, 170 00:14:16,090 --> 00:14:21,650 Speaker 1: the surviving balloons had long since blown to Canada. Latex 171 00:14:21,730 --> 00:14:25,930 Speaker 1: takes a while to biodegrade, while helium is a scarce 172 00:14:26,090 --> 00:14:30,690 Speaker 1: and non renewable resource. The whole thing seems like environmental 173 00:14:30,770 --> 00:14:37,610 Speaker 1: negligence at best, but treb hining. The balloon mastermind was 174 00:14:37,730 --> 00:14:40,570 Speaker 1: infuriated by the idea that we should worry about a 175 00:14:40,570 --> 00:14:44,170 Speaker 1: little latex. I've been in the balloon industry for years 176 00:14:44,490 --> 00:14:47,410 Speaker 1: trying to spread joy and happiness, he complained to the 177 00:14:47,490 --> 00:14:50,690 Speaker 1: Chicago Tribune. Are you going to eliminate everything on the 178 00:14:50,730 --> 00:14:53,250 Speaker 1: face of the earth that creates happiness? If you eat 179 00:14:53,330 --> 00:14:56,450 Speaker 1: enough apple pie, you can die? And what about fireworks? 180 00:14:56,610 --> 00:14:58,290 Speaker 1: Are you going to ban them because they put a 181 00:14:58,290 --> 00:15:01,250 Speaker 1: few chemicals in the air. It's very unfair to make 182 00:15:01,290 --> 00:15:05,730 Speaker 1: this a litter issue. The balloon fest was not a 183 00:15:05,850 --> 00:15:12,330 Speaker 1: resounding success. Amidst all the aches, United Way lost money. 184 00:15:12,450 --> 00:15:15,810 Speaker 1: A representative said we would not do a balloon launch 185 00:15:16,050 --> 00:15:21,290 Speaker 1: ever again. And what about that record a delightful short 186 00:15:21,450 --> 00:15:26,850 Speaker 1: documentary Balloon Fest by filmmaker Nathan trusdall ends by noting 187 00:15:26,890 --> 00:15:30,090 Speaker 1: that the event was not recognized by the Guinness Book 188 00:15:30,090 --> 00:15:33,730 Speaker 1: of Records. Local newspapers tell the same story that it 189 00:15:33,850 --> 00:15:38,370 Speaker 1: was never an official record, but then someone found a 190 00:15:38,450 --> 00:15:41,610 Speaker 1: small print in an old edition of the Guinness Book 191 00:15:41,650 --> 00:15:46,570 Speaker 1: of Records, Page two hundred and ninety says the largest 192 00:15:46,770 --> 00:15:50,850 Speaker 1: ever mass balloon release was one of one million, four 193 00:15:50,970 --> 00:15:54,650 Speaker 1: hundred and twenty nine thousand, six hundred and forty three 194 00:15:54,730 --> 00:15:59,410 Speaker 1: sponsored by United Way at Public Square in Cleveland, Ohio, 195 00:15:59,730 --> 00:16:04,170 Speaker 1: on September the twenty seventh, nineteen eighty six. So there 196 00:16:04,170 --> 00:16:07,090 Speaker 1: you go. It was wrong to say the record wasn't 197 00:16:07,090 --> 00:16:10,890 Speaker 1: recognized as a Guinness World Record. More accurate is to 198 00:16:10,930 --> 00:16:14,730 Speaker 1: say that while Cleveland did break the record, the whole 199 00:16:14,770 --> 00:16:19,570 Speaker 1: thing was so obscure that people thought it hadn't and 200 00:16:19,850 --> 00:16:23,730 Speaker 1: people still take their vacations in Disneyland rather than Cleveland. 201 00:16:28,210 --> 00:16:31,330 Speaker 1: In two thousand and eleven, twenty five years after the 202 00:16:31,370 --> 00:16:35,770 Speaker 1: original release, balloon Master Treb Hining told the Cleveland Plain 203 00:16:35,890 --> 00:16:40,130 Speaker 1: Dealer that the record still stood. Of course it did, 204 00:16:40,930 --> 00:16:44,010 Speaker 1: as the Plain Dealer noted, after the trouble the balloon 205 00:16:44,090 --> 00:16:47,530 Speaker 1: launch caused no one around here would ever try a 206 00:16:47,570 --> 00:16:52,850 Speaker 1: stunt like that. Again, it's good to dream big, but 207 00:16:52,970 --> 00:16:55,930 Speaker 1: whether we're picking out a holiday present or planning to 208 00:16:55,970 --> 00:17:00,290 Speaker 1: release two million balloons, we should imagine not just the 209 00:17:00,450 --> 00:17:06,010 Speaker 1: moment of climax, but what happens afterwards, and whether it's 210 00:17:06,050 --> 00:17:10,930 Speaker 1: really likely to play out as we hope. As for 211 00:17:11,050 --> 00:17:14,730 Speaker 1: Mary Ellen's missing watch stolen away by a rogue bunch 212 00:17:14,770 --> 00:17:26,650 Speaker 1: of balloons, your guests is as good as mine. Nathan 213 00:17:26,730 --> 00:17:30,850 Speaker 1: Truesdell's documentary is balloon Fest. It's available to watch for 214 00:17:30,890 --> 00:17:34,530 Speaker 1: free online. For a full list of our sources, please 215 00:17:34,570 --> 00:17:41,330 Speaker 1: see the show notes at Tim Harford dot com. Cautionary 216 00:17:41,370 --> 00:17:44,930 Speaker 1: Tales is written by me Tim Harford with Andrew Wright. 217 00:17:45,370 --> 00:17:49,050 Speaker 1: It's produced by Ryan Dilley with support from Courtney Guarino 218 00:17:49,170 --> 00:17:53,170 Speaker 1: and Emily Vaughan. The sound design and original music is 219 00:17:53,210 --> 00:17:57,050 Speaker 1: the work of Pascal Wise. Julia Barton edited the scripts. 220 00:17:57,770 --> 00:18:01,650 Speaker 1: It features the voice talents of Ben Crowe, Melanie Gutridge, 221 00:18:02,050 --> 00:18:06,530 Speaker 1: Stella Harford, and Rufus Wright. The show also wouldn't have 222 00:18:06,570 --> 00:18:10,210 Speaker 1: been possible without the work of Mere LaBelle, Jacob Weisberg, 223 00:18:10,410 --> 00:18:16,170 Speaker 1: Heather Fane, John Schnarz, Carlie Mighiori, Eric Sandler, Royston Basserve, 224 00:18:16,770 --> 00:18:22,370 Speaker 1: Maggie Taylor, Nicole Mrano, Daniellow, Lakhan, and Maya Kanig. Cautionary 225 00:18:22,370 --> 00:18:25,970 Speaker 1: Tales is a production of Pushkin Industries. If you like 226 00:18:26,050 --> 00:18:29,130 Speaker 1: the show, please remember to share, rate, and review.