Choiceology With Dan Heath

A train was speeding along the tracks in 19th-century England when a passenger suddenly started smashing windows and waving a pistol in the air. People believed his actions were caused by what was, at the time, a new and unfamiliar form of transportation. Doctors posited the rattling motion and noise of trains could cause passengers to act erratically, creating the short-lived but popular myth of "railway madness."In this episode of Choiceology with Katy Milkman, we look at how people often overreact to poor quality or incomplete information.A sudden explosion in 1889 ripped apart the USS Maine, the United States' largest warship at the time. The ship sank, killing more than half of the sailors on board. The Maine had been anchored in Cuba, and despite having little proof, the American public immediately blamed the Spanish for the sinking. Newspaper editors published headlines such as "Remember the Maine, to Hell with Spain!" Nearly a hundred years later, an underwater investigation would reveal what likely c