Mistakes Were Made

In the 1630s, the Dutch Republic went completely insane for flowers. Tulip Mania was the world’s first recorded economic bubble, when a single tulip bulb could cost more than a house, fortunes were made and lost faster than you can say “floral portfolio.” But this wasn’t just about gardening. It was about greed, hype, and some truly baffling investment decisions.

Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman dig into the absurdity of 17th-century Holland’s tulip-fueled frenzy: how it started, how it spiraled out of control, and how it all came crashing down when people realized you can’t actually eat your savings. From rare bulbs traded like Bitcoin to deals sealed in taverns over too much beer, this is the hilarious story of the market crash that bloomed before capitalism even knew what it was.It’s a colorful blend of history, hysteria, and human stupidity—just another day on Mistakes Were Made.

Keywords:
Tulip Mania podcast, Dutch Golden Age, economic bubble history, first stock market crash, Mistakes Were Made podcast, comedy history podcast, weird history economics, tulip bubble explained, 17th century Netherlands, financial disasters in history, funny history podcast.

In the 14th century, Muhammad bin Tughlaq ruled one of the largest empires in India’s history—and possibly made more questionable decisions per minute than any leader before or since. Known as a brilliant scholar, poet, and mathematician, Tughlaq also earned a reputation as the “Mad Sultan” thanks to his wild experiments in governance, including moving his entire capital city hundreds of miles for no reason, creating a doomed token currency, and taxing farmers into rebellion.

Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman dive into the life of this ambitious overachiever who somehow managed to turn genius-level ideas into catastrophic failures. From elephant parades gone wrong to conspiracy theories about collapsing royal stages, it’s a story of vision, ego, and what happens when the smartest guy in the room refuses to read the room.

It’s one part political satire, one part history lesson, and 100% Mistakes Were Made.

Keywords:
Muhammad bin Tughlaq podcast, Delhi Sultanate history, Indian history podcast, Mistakes Were Made podcast, comedy history podcast, weird rulers in history, mad kings and sultans, history gone wrong, medieval India, historical blunders, funny history stories.

When historians call Warren G. Harding one of America’s worst presidents, they’re not exaggerating—they’re just being polite. Harding’s administration in the 1920s was less a government and more a frat house with oil money. His so-called “Ohio Gang” filled Washington with poker-playing cronies, bootleg whiskey, and some of the biggest corruption scandals in U.S. history.

In this episode, comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman unpack the hilarious—and horrifying—story of how Harding’s cabinet became a carnival of incompetence. From the Teapot Dome scandal (the OG government oil grift) to secret affairs and backroom bribes, this is the story of what happens when you put your drinking buddies in charge of the country. Spoiler: it does not end well.It’s a political roast from the 1920s that proves one thing—America’s been electing questionable dudes since day one.

Keywords:
Warren G. Harding podcast, Teapot Dome scandal, Warren Harding cabinet, Ohio Gang history, presidential scandals, Mistakes Were Made podcast, comedy history podcast, corrupt presidents, American history podcast, funniest history podcast, political corruption history, U.S. history disasters.

Franz Reichelt dreamt of designing the first wearable parachute. The only problem was he wasn't good at it and he liked to test things himself. 

On February 1912 Franz announced to the press that he had received permission to conduct a test of one of his designs on a dummy from the Eiffel Tower. To him this was the perfect time to actually test his invention.

On Sunday, February 4, at 7:00 a.m., he arrived at the tower by car with two friends to a crowd of anxious onlookers, who were cordoned off outside the drop-zone. He was already wearing his parachute suit. A suit that did not restrict the wearer's movements when the parachute was packed, and the method of deploying the parachute as being as simple as extending the arms out to form a cross with the body. Once extended, the outfit resembled "a sort of cloak fitted with a vast hood of silk". The weather was cold, with temperatures below 32 °F and there was a stiff breeze blowing. (More on podcast)

Billy was a natural stunt master. In 1944 The Republican Convention came to town in and he posted a sign saying, "No Republicans allowed." This caused the tavern to be packed with Republicans demanding to be served.

He would also sneak his goat, Murphy, into unusual locations in order to try and gain publicity for his bar and in 1945 he was presented with the perfect opportunity. The Cubs were gearing up to face the Detroit Tigers in Game Four of the World Series. Many Cubs fans believed 1945 would be their year. They’d come into Game Four with a 2-1 lead over the Tigers, and only needed two more wins to claim the title.

Billy was a long-time Cubs fan and on October 6, 1945, he bought two tickets worth $7.20 for game 4 of the world series. One of the tickets was for him; the other one was for his goat who was wearing a sign stating "We Got Detroit's Goat". (More on the podcast)

Meet Timothy Dexter, the uneducated New England businessman who somehow became one of the richest men in early America… entirely by accident. Born in 1747 with no formal education, Dexter stumbled his way into fortune after fortune through a series of decisions that should have ruined him. He shipped warming pans to the Caribbean (and they sold out), sent coal to Newcastle (and made a profit), and wrote one of the most confusing books in American history—complete with an appendix of punctuation marks for readers to “sprinkle in wherever proper.”

In this episode, comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman dive into the absurd true story of the man who proved that sometimes being a complete idiot is the ultimate life hack. From faking his own funeral to building a garden filled with statues of famous men—and one of himself labeled “The Greatest Philosopher in the Western World”—Timothy Dexter lived like a man immune to failure and allergic to humility.It’s one of the strangest success stories ever told: part historical farce, part capitalist fever dream, and 100% Mistakes Were Made.

Story by: Zachary Crockett at priceonomics.com

Timothy Dexter was born in Malden, Mass., Jan. 22, 1747. From his birth, he fancied himself a legend -- he later wrote “I was to be one grat [sic] man,”


Keywords:
Timothy Dexter podcast, history of Timothy Dexter, weird history podcast, funniest historical figures, luckiest man in history, Mistakes Were Made podcast, comedy history podcast, American history weirdos, self-made millionaire history, dumb luck success stories, bizarre historical figures, failed geniuses, colonial America comedy.

They quickly got to work on their flying vehicle and in just two years they had two prototypes and three more under construction. Well you obviously can’t work that quick by engineering something from the ground up. They instead took two already existing production models and put them together. The actual flying mechanism was a Cessna Skymaster. The Skymaster (great name) is a twin-engine civil utility aircraft that had been under production since 1965. I looked it up and it appears to have a good flight record and is a good plane. So they just took that plane and cut off the front of it. If you look at pictures you’ll see that it’s the wings and and rutters and everything, just the part where the pilot sits is cut off. The car that they chose was the Ford Pinto. (more on the podcast)

Santa Anna used his military and political influences to rise to the highest ranking general in the Mexican Army and In 1833 Santa Anna was overwhelmingly elected President of Mexico. In the early years of Mexico the country was in extreme turmoil. Santa Anna ran on the promise to unite the nation, but once he got the job things changed. His vice president, Dr. Valentin Gomez Farias (Dr. Go for short) said that being president “Annoyed Santa Anna, bored him, and perhaps frightened him”. Because of this Santa Anna really only governed for a year before he left all the real work of being president to his vice president, Dr. VGF, and Santa Anna retired to his home in the countryside. After taking power, Dr. Go soon launched an ambitious reform of church, state, and army. This was a huge problem to many of the conservatives in Mexico and in 1834 Santa Anna seized the opportunity to reassert his authority, and led a military coup against his own government. (more on the podcast)

In the 1st millennium (or the 1000’s or the 11th century) the city of Pisa was becoming an important Italian seaport. Its fame and power grew gradually as the people of Pisa were involved in various military conflicts and trade agreements. In 1063 the Christian city of Pisa attacked the Muslim-ruled city of Palermo (Pal-air-mo). The attack was successful and the conquerors returned to Pisa with a great deal of treasure. To show the world just how important the city was, the people of Pisa decided to build a great cathedral complex called “the Field of Miracles”. Part of that plan was an 8 story bell tower.

On August 9th, 1173 construction began on the bell tower. A foundation for the tower was built of a 3 foot deep mixture of clay. After 5 years of construction they had completed three out of eight floors of the structure, but quickly noticed a problem. It turned out the clay that they used for the foundation wasn’t nearly as strong as they thought and wasn’t able to keep the tower upright. Even everyday citizens could see that the tower had already began to lean. This wasn’t new in Pisa as the river city has soft grounds and a number of other structures have exhibited this same behavior. (More on the podcast)

From ancient Egyptians weaving gold into their beards to Mesopotamians curling theirs like fashion icons, humanity’s relationship with facial hair has always been… complicated. Comedians Robert Bacon and Mike Kauffman take a hilarious deep dive into the surprisingly bloody, bizarre, and stylish history of shaving—starting with cavemen plucking whiskers using seashells 100,000 years ago. It’s an epic tale of vanity, pain, and questionable grooming decisions through the ages.

Keywords:
history of beards, shaving history, ancient Egypt beards, Mesopotamian grooming, weird history podcast, Mistakes Were Made podcast, comedy history podcast, beard facts, ancient shaving tools, human grooming history.