In the early ’90s, Hank Rowan gave $100 million to a tiny public university in Glassboro, New Jersey: not Harvard, not Yale, not even to his alma mater, MIT. What was Rowan thinking? And why has it proven so difficult for other philanthropists

The Big Man Can't Shoot

1 3 Jun 30th, 2016 35m 5s

Wilt Chamberlain’s brilliant career was marred by one, deeply inexplicable decision: He chose a shooting technique that made him one of the worst foul shooters in basketball—even though he had tried a better alternative. Why do smart people do

Blame Game

Aug 4th, 2016 37m 46s

In the summer and fall of 2009, hundreds of Toyota owners came forward with an alarming allegation: Their cars were suddenly and uncontrollably accelerating. Toyota was forced to recall 10 million vehicles, pay a fine of more than $1 billion, a

Food Fight

1 1 Jul 14th, 2016 30m 7s

Bowdoin College and Vassar College are two elite private schools that compete for the same students. But one of those schools is trying hard to address the problem of rich and poor in American society—and paying a high price. The other is makin

The King of Tears

3 Jul 20th, 2017 41m 43s

Why country music makes you cry, and rock and roll doesn’t: A musical interpretation of divided America. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hallelujah

1 1 Jul 28th, 2016 36m 32s

How does genius emerge? An exploration of different types of innovation—through the lens of Elvis Costello’s extraordinary song “Deportee,” once utterly forgettable and then, through time and iteration, a work of beauty and genius. If you're lo

The Satire Paradox

Aug 18th, 2016 36m 50s

In the political turmoil of mid-1990s Britain, a brilliantyoung comic named Harry Enfield set out to satirize the ideology and politicsof Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. His parodies became famous. He wrote andperformed a vicious sendup of th

The Basement Tapes

1 Aug 17th, 2017 30m 54s

What is a son’s obligation to his father? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Good Walk Spoiled

1 2 Jun 15th, 2017 34m 3s

Rich people and their addiction to golf: a philosophical investigation. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Polite Word for Liar

1 1 May 31st, 2018 36m 35s

An early morning raid, a house-full of Nazis, the world’s greatest harmonica player, and a dashingly handsome undercover spy. What could possibly go wrong? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.

Carlos Doesn’t Remember

1 2 Jul 7th, 2016 33m 36s

Of the tens of thousands of talented, low-income students who graduate from high school every year in the United States, most never make it to universities appropriate to their gifts. America leaves an enormous amount of talent on the table eve

The Lady Vanishes

2 1 Jun 16th, 2016 33m 48s

In the late 19th century, a painting titled The Roll Call, by a virtually unknown artist, took England by storm. But after that brilliant first effort, the artist all but disappeared. Why? And what does The Roll Call tell us about the fate of t

Malcolm Gladwell's 12 Rules for Life

1 Jun 28th, 2018 42m 40s

Crucial life lessons from the end of hockey games, Idris Elba, and some Wall Street guys with a lot of time on their hands. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa

The Foot Soldier of Birmingham

Jul 6th, 2017 34m 31s

“Oh, Mac. What did you do?” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Powerball Revolution

1 Jul 2nd, 2020 41m 17s

In Bolivia, a political activist radically reforms the voting process for... student council elections. Who else does he convince? Revisionist History. And maybe a fancy private school in New Jersey. Get Revisionist History updates first by sig

The Tortoise and the Hare

2 Jun 27th, 2019 38m 39s

A weird speech by Antonin Scalia, a visit with some serious legal tortoises, and a testy exchange with the experts at the Law School Admissions Council prompts Malcolm to formulate his Grand Unified Theory for fixing higher education. Learn mo

McDonald’s Broke My Heart

3 Aug 10th, 2017 34m 2s

They made the world’s greatest French Fry. Then they threw it away. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bonus

Malcolm Gladwell on Oprah's SuperSoul Conversations

1 Sep 19th, 2019 39m 58s

Malcolm Gladwell speaks with Oprah Winfrey about his new book Talking to Strangers, the one mystery he hopes might be resolved in our lifetimes, and the ways we could all benefit from a little more patience and humility when judging people we d

Puzzle Rush

3 Jun 20th, 2019 34m 48s

Malcolm challenges his assistant Camille to the Law School Admissions Test. He gets halfway through, panics, runs out of time, and wonders: why does the legal world want him to rush? Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcas

Free Brian Williams

1 Jun 7th, 2018 36m 24s

"Sorry dude, I don't remember you being on my aircraft." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Prime Minister and the Prof

Jul 13th, 2017 34m 12s

The friendship that changed the course of World War II. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Rise of the Guinea Pigs

2 Sep 29th, 2022 46m 57s

The Minnesota Starvation Experiment could never be done today. No scientist could get permission to starve 36 healthy people for close to a year. But why? Revisionist History tries to follow the strange logic that governs our thinking about med

Lord of the Rankings

1 2 Jul 1st, 2021 32m 4s

For 30 years, US News & World Report has been using a secret formula to rank the best colleges and universities in the United States. As a public service to our listeners, we hack the algorithm and discover the dirty little secret of the rankin

The Imaginary Crimes of Margit Hamosh

2 Jul 5th, 2018 32m 59s

Epidemics of fear repeat themselves. The first time as tragedy. The second time as farce. Margit Hamosh? Definitely farce. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informa

State v Johnson

1 1 Jul 27th, 2017 31m 25s

“Nobody was interested in justice.” Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.