Freakonomics Radio

  • What Can Whales Teach Us About Clean Energy, Workplace Harmony, and Living the Good Life? (Update)

    In the final episode of our whale series, we learn about fecal plumes, shipping noise, and why Moby-Dick is still worth reading. (Part 3 of “Everything You Never Knew About Whaling.“)   SOURCES: Michele Baggio,…


  • Why Do People Still Hunt Whales? (Update)

    For years, whale oil was used as lighting fuel, industrial lubricant, and the main ingredient in (yum!) margarine. Whale meat was also on a few menus. But today, demand for whale products is at a…


  • The First Great American Industry (Update)

    Whaling was, in the words of one scholar, “early capitalism unleashed on the high seas.” How did the U.S. come to dominate the whale market? Why did whale hunting die out here — and continue…


  • Why Does Tipping Still Exist? (Update)

    It’s a haphazard way of paying workers, and yet it keeps expanding. With federal tax policy shifting in a pro-tip direction, we revisit an episode from 2019 to find out why.   SOURCES: John List,…


  • 643. Why Do Candles Still Exist?

    They should have died out when the lightbulb was invented. Instead they’re a $10 billion industry. What does it mean that we still want tiny fires inside our homes?   SOURCES: Tim Cooper, professor emeritus…


  • 642. How to Wage Peace, According to Tony Blinken

    The former secretary of state isn’t a flamethrower, but he certainly has strong opinions. In this wide-ranging conversation with Stephen Dubner, he gives them all: on Israel, Gaza, China, Iran, Russia, Biden, Trump — and…


  • Why Does One Tiny State Set the Rules for Everyone? (Update)

    Until recently, Delaware was almost universally agreed to be the best place for companies to incorporate. Now, with Elon Musk leading a corporate stampede out of the First State, we revisit an episode from 2023…


  • 641. What Does It Cost to Lead a Creative Life?

    For years, the playwright David Adjmi was considered “polarizing and difficult.” But creating Stereophonic seems to have healed him. Stephen Dubner gets the story — and sorts out what Adjmi has in common with Richard…


  • 640. Why Governments Are Betting Big on Sports

    The Gulf States and China are spending billions to build stadiums and buy up teams — but what are they really buying? And can an entrepreneur from Cincinnati make his own billions by bringing baseball…


  • How to Make Your Own Luck (Update)

    Before she decided to become a poker pro, Maria Konnikova didn’t know how many cards are in a deck. But she did have a Ph.D. in psychology, a brilliant coach, and a burning desire to…


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