The Rise of The Failure [Born Loser]

The Rise of The Failure [Born Loser]

Why do we call people "born losers?" Where did this idiom come from? Join us as we explore how the rise of capitalism in America impacts our language today. We will learn about the The Market Revolution, Henry David Thoreau, and the history of "born Loser." We talk to Dr. Scott Sandage, Author of Born Losers: A History of Failure in America, and Dr. Samuel West of the museum of Failure. Thanks for listening! References Browne, P. E. (1909). A fool there was. The Hampton Magazine, 22(4), 259. Crèvecœur, J. H. St. J. (1998). Letters from an American farmer. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4666/pg4666-images.html [https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/4666/pg4666-images.html] EBSCO. (n.d.). Hamilton’s report on public credit. EBSCO Research Starters. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/hamiltons-report-public-credit [https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/literature-and-writing/hamiltons-report-public-credit] Farm Bureau. (n.d.). Fast facts. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from https://www.fb.org/newsroom/fast-facts [https://www.fb.org/newsroom/fast-facts] Family’s ‘winner’ becomes a ‘loser’ and ‘loser’ a ‘winner’. (2002, August 1). The Sydney Morning Herald. https://www.smh.com.au/world/familys-winner-becomes-a-loser-and-loser-a-winner-20020801-gdfi5p.html [https://www.smh.com.au/world/familys-winner-becomes-a-loser-and-loser-a-winner-20020801-gdfi5p.html] Green, J. (2013, April 26). The Market Revolution: Crash Course US History #12 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNftCCwAol0 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RNftCCwAol0] Horton, R. R. (2014, November 27). “A fool there was” by Porter Emerson Browne. R.R. Horton’s Blog. https://rrhorton.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-fool-there-was-by-porter-emerson_27.html [https://rrhorton.blogspot.com/2014/11/a-fool-there-was-by-porter-emerson_27.html] Levitt, S. D., & Dubner, S. J. (2009). Freakonomics: A rogue economist explores the hidden side of everything. Pombo Free. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from http://pombo.free.fr/freakonomics.pdf [http://pombo.free.fr/freakonomics.pdf] Lockley, S., & Grivno, K. (Eds.). (2019). The Market Revolution. In The American Yawp (Vol. 1). Stanford University Press. http://www.americanyawp.com/text/08-the-market-revolution/ [http://www.americanyawp.com/text/08-the-market-revolution/] Martineau, H. (n.d.). Society in America, Vol. 1 (of 3). Project Gutenberg. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/52685/pg52685-images.html [https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/52685/pg52685-images.html] Niles, H. (n.d.). Niles’ Weekly Register. Early US History. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from https://earlyushistory.net/niles-register/#v1 [https://earlyushistory.net/niles-register/#v1] Pilgrim Institute. (n.d.). Noah Webster: Founding father of American scholarship and education. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from https://pilgriminstitute.org/blog/noah-webster-founding-father-of-american-scholarship-and-education/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAs%20an%20independent%20nation%2C%20our,Dissertations%20on%20the%20English%20Language [https://pilgriminstitute.org/blog/noah-webster-founding-father-of-american-scholarship-and-education/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CAs%20an%20independent%20nation%2C%20our,Dissertations%20on%20the%20English%20Language] Sandage, S. A. (2006). Born losers: A history of failure in America. Harvard University Press. U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). 1790-1890: Urban and rural population. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from https://www.census.gov/dataviz/visualizations/005/#:~:text=This%20reflected%20a%20shift%20from,rose%20to%2035.1%20by%201890 [https://www.census.gov/dataviz/visualizations/005/#:~:text=This%20reflected%20a%20shift%20from,rose%20to%2035.1%20by%201890]. University of Illinois. (n.d.). Noah Webster. University of Illinois Blogs. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/25/5344#:~:text=A%20lawyer%20and%20schoolmaster%20who,speech%20of%20its%20former%20masters [https://blogs.illinois.edu/view/25/5344#:~:text=A%20lawyer%20and%20schoolmaster%20who,speech%20of%20its%20former%20masters]. University of Washington. (2016, May 26). Documents that changed the world: Noah Webster’s dictionary (1828). UW News. https://www.washington.edu/news/2016/05/26/documents-that-changed-the-world-noah-websters-dictionary-1828/#:~:text= [https://www.google.com/search?q=https://www.washington.edu/news/2016/05/26/documents-that-changed-the-world-noah-websters-dictionary-1828/%23:~:text%3D]“He%20had%20more%20luck%20there,'” Vance, L. J. (n.d.). The bandbox. Project Gutenberg. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/6305/pg6305-images.html [https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/6305/pg6305-images.html] Webster, N. (1783). A grammatical institute of the English language, Part I: Containing a plain and comprehensive system of English grammar. D. Potter. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from http://www.donpotter.net/pdf/webster-1783.pdf [http://www.donpotter.net/pdf/webster-1783.pdf] Webster, N. (1906). Webster’s practical dictionary: A book of reference for the American people (G. V. N. Dearborn, Ed.). New York: Hinds, Noble & Eldredge. Retrieved November 9, 2025, from https://archive.org/details/websterspractica00web/page/232/mode/2up [https://archive.org/details/websterspractica00web/page/232/mode/2up]

The Segway [A Flash In The Pan]

This episode explores the idiom "flash in the pan." We are talking about Segway's, muskets, and failure! Guests: Don N. Hagist, author – Noble Volunteers: The British Soldiers Who Fought the American Revolution, Editor of The Journal of The American Revolution Dr Samuel West, founder and curator – Museum of Failure Sources: EF Tours Blog – Dean Kamen: Inventions and Opportunities in Failure https://blog.eftours.com/article/dean-kamen-inventions-and-opportunities-in-failure/ [https://blog.eftours.com/article/dean-kamen-inventions-and-opportunities-in-failure/] CNN – How the Segway Became a Joke and a Blueprint for the Future https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/30/tech/segway-history [https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/30/tech/segway-history] Emerging Tech Brew – How the Segway Paved the Way for Micromobility Startups https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2025/03/21/segway-micromobility-startups [https://www.emergingtechbrew.com/stories/2025/03/21/segway-micromobility-startups] TIME Archive – Reinventing the Wheel https://time.com/archive/6905012/reinventing-the-wheel-3/ [https://time.com/archive/6905012/reinventing-the-wheel-3/] Journal of the American Revolution – About AllThingsLiberty.com https://allthingsliberty.com/about/ [https://allthingsliberty.com/about/] Early English Books Online (EEBO) – Flash in historical texts (A59339) https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?q1=Flash&type=simple&rgn=full+text&c=eebo&cc=eebo&idno=A59339.0001.001 [https://quod.lib.umich.edu/cgi/t/text/text-idx?q1=Flash&type=simple&rgn=full+text&c=eebo&cc=eebo&idno=A59339.0001.001] WIRED (2015) – Why the Segway Was a Technological Marvel That Didn't Work https://www.wired.com/2015/01/well-didnt-work-segway-technological-marvel-bad-doesnt-make-sense/ [https://www.wired.com/2015/01/well-didnt-work-segway-technological-marvel-bad-doesnt-make-sense/] WIRED (2006) – Glitch Leads to Segway Recall https://www.wired.com/2006/09/glitch-leads-to-segway-recall/ [https://www.wired.com/2006/09/glitch-leads-to-segway-recall/] Television Editorial Corporation. Television Age, (November 7, 1966). Television‑Radio Age / Television Age issue dated November 7, 1966. PDF accessed via World Radio History archive. https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-TV-Radio-Age/60s/66/Television-Radio-Age-1966-11-07.pdf [https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-TV-Radio-Age/60s/66/Television-Radio-Age-1966-11-07.pdf] American Institute of Food Distribution. Weekly Digest. Vols. 72–73, 1966. https://books.google.co.uk/books? [https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=CphKAAAAYAAJ&q=%22colgate+kitchen%22+crabmeat&dq=%22colgate+kitchen%22+crabmeat&hl=en&sa=X&redir_esc=y] Archive.org – The Flintlock: Its Origin, Development, and Use by Torsten Lenk, translated by J.F. Hayward https://archive.org/details/Flintlock_The/page/n127/mode/2up?q=Marin [https://archive.org/details/Flintlock_The/page/n127/mode/2up?q=Marin] Topics: flash in the pan, Segway, Museum of Failure, innovation, failure, idioms, history, personal growth, technology, expectations, muskets, flintlock

RANDOMiDiOM Teaser

RANDOMiDiOM is a story-filled history podcast. Learn about intriguing events and fascinating people as we explore expressions like "let the cat out of the bag" and "bite the bullet." We talk to historians, linguists, authors, scholars and other special guests! The stories are waiting. All we need is a random idiom! randomidiom.com Instagram: @randomidiom X: @randomidiompod email: randomidiompodcast@gmail.com Thanks to everyone who recorded and sent in an idiom! (Amelia, Anthony, Asher, Dave, Josh, Jovie, Kristin, Marc, Mary, Mike, Seth, Titus, Zane) Edited and produced: Nick Deitrich, RANDOMiDiOM, LLC Theme music by wav.loom Logo by Josh Taylor