NPR Series: Planet Money Shorts: Season 2 https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=774773634 Season 1 of Planet Money Shorts brings more weird stories behind even bigger economic facts, re-enacted and explained by the crew of ultra-goofballs over here at National Public Radio. en Copyright 2024 NPR - For Personal Use Only Story API Shim 1.2.24 Sun, 05 Apr 2026 14:36:15 -0400 https://media.npr.org/images/podcasts/primary/npr_generic_image_300.jpg?s=200 NPR Series: Planet Money Shorts: Season 2 https://www.npr.org/series/774773634/planet-money-shorts-season-2 VIDEO: Why Do Irish Pubs Work So Well? There's A Formula To It Here's what Kazakhstan, Hong Kong and Ireland have in common: They all have Irish pubs. And a bunch of them are the product of one man: Mel McNally. Thu, 15 Aug 2019 06:45:51 -0400 https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/08/15/738445244/video-why-do-irish-pubs-work-so-well-theres-a-formula-to-it https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/08/15/738445244/video-why-do-irish-pubs-work-so-well-theres-a-formula-to-it

Here's what Kazakhstan, Hong Kong and Ireland have in common: They all have Irish pubs. And a bunch of them are the product of one man: Mel McNally.

]]> Bronson Arcuri The Math Whiz Who Won The Lottery 14 Times Buying a lottery ticket is a bad deal. The odds are against you, even with a giant pot. But one guy figured out how to flip the odds in his favor ... 14 times. Tue, 09 Jul 2019 08:15:20 -0400 https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/07/09/726339472/the-math-whiz-who-won-the-lottery-14-times https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/07/09/726339472/the-math-whiz-who-won-the-lottery-14-times

Buying a lottery ticket is a bad deal. The odds are against you, even with a giant pot. But one guy figured out how to flip the odds in his favor ... 14 times.

]]> Bronson Arcuri VIDEO: The Origin Of Government Cheese The government manages a lot of things: air and water quality, roads and bridges, and, once upon a time, a whole lot of cheese. Tue, 11 Jun 2019 14:31:52 -0400 https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/06/11/729967699/video-the-origin-of-government-cheese https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/06/11/729967699/video-the-origin-of-government-cheese

The government manages a lot of things: air and water quality, roads and bridges, and, once upon a time, a whole lot of cheese.

]]> Bronson Arcuri How Everything Became Plastic This is the story of how plastic was invented, and how maybe we went too far with it. Tue, 28 May 2019 06:30:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/05/28/726326078/how-everything-became-plastic https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/05/28/726326078/how-everything-became-plastic

This is the story of how plastic was invented, and how maybe we went too far with it.

]]> Bronson Arcuri VIDEO: How Much Money Should The Tooth Fairy Leave? We answer a timeless parenting question with hard numbers and a bizarro story about a sad, office-dwelling fairy. Tue, 02 Apr 2019 07:30:00 -0400 https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/04/02/708713839/video-how-much-money-should-the-tooth-fairy-leave https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/04/02/708713839/video-how-much-money-should-the-tooth-fairy-leave

We answer a timeless parenting question with hard numbers and a bizarro story about a sad, office-dwelling fairy.

(Image credit: Mito Habe-Evans)

]]> WATCH: There's No Such Thing As Fancy Vodka If vodka is by definition colorless, odorless and tasteless, then why are some vodkas so much more expensive than others? Tue, 12 Mar 2019 07:30:22 -0400 https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/03/12/702220737/watch-theres-no-such-thing-as-fancy-vodka https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/03/12/702220737/watch-theres-no-such-thing-as-fancy-vodka

If vodka is by definition colorless, odorless and tasteless, then why are some vodkas so much more expensive than others?

(Image credit: Mito Habe-Evans)

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