Episode 142
Episode 142 - Crankery and Notable Cranks
Squaring the Strange · Celestia Ward
February 19, 20211h 11m
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Show Notes
Ben, Celestia, and Pascual help define what makes a crank a crank, and we look into the history of this concept. Then we bring a couple of examples we think illustrate textbook cranks and why they aren't just laughable, they can do some real harm. From selling spiritual self-help books and snake oil to trying to legislate a wrong value for Pi, cranks have a long and storied history in America.