Preface
1.
2.
3.
4.
PART ONE
Obsessives, Pioneers, and Other Varieties of Minor Genius
The Pitchman
RON POPEIL AND THE CONQUEST OF THE AMERICAN KITCHEN
The Ketchup Conundrum
MUSTARD NOW COMES IN DOZENS OF VARIETIES. WHY HAS KETCHUP STAYED THE SAME?
Blowing Up
HOW NASSIM TALEB TURNED THE INEVITABILITY OF DISASTER INTO AN INVESTMENT STRATEGY
True Colors
HAIR DYE AND THE HIDDEN HISTORY OF POSTWAR AMERICA
John Rock’s Error
WHAT THE INVENTOR OF THE BIRTH CONTROL PILL DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT WOMEN’S HEALTH
What the Dog Saw
CESAR MILLAN AND THE MOVEMENTS OF MASTERY
PART TWO
Theories, Predictions, and Diagnoses
Open Secrets
ENRON, INTELLIGENCE, AND THE PERILS OF TOO MUCH INFORMATION
Million-Dollar Murray
WHY PROBLEMS LIKE HOMELESSNESS MAY BE EASIER TO SOLVE THAN TO MANAGE
The Picture Problem
MAMMOGRAPHY, AIR POWER, AND THE LIMITS OF LOOKING
Something Borrowed
SHOULD A CHARGE OF PLAGIARISM RUIN YOUR LIFE?
Connecting the Dots
THE PARADOXES OF INTELLIGENCE REFORM
The Art of Failure
WHY SOME PEOPLE CHOKE AND OTHERS PANIC
Blowup
WHO CAN BE BLAMED FOR A DISASTER LIKE THE CHALLENGER EXPLOSION? NO ONE, AND WE’D BETTER GET USED TO IT
PART THREE
Personality, Character, and Intelligence
Late Bloomers
WHY DO WE EQUATE GENIUS WITH PRECOCITY?
Most Likely to Succeed
Dangerous Minds
CRIMINAL PROFILING MADE EASY
The Talent Myth
ARE SMART PEOPLE OVERRATED?
The New-Boy Network
WHAT DO JOB INTERVIEWS REALLY TELL US?
Troublemakers
WHAT PIT BULLS CAN TEACH US ABOUT CRIME
Acknowledgments
About the Author
