logo
episode-header-image
Jun 18
8m 13s

(Preview) Vampire Bats Thwart Henry Ford

ANDREW HEATON
About this episode

Henry Ford revolutionized manufacturing, built the modern automobile industry, and amassed one of the greatest fortunes in American history. Then he decided to conquer the Amazon. In this installment of our series on company towns, we explore Fordlandia—the bizarre Midwestern utopia Ford attempted to build in the Brazilian jungle. It had golf courses, square dancing, vegetarian cafeterias, anti-soccer policies, and enough cultural arrogance to power a small nation. It also had malaria, jaguars, vampire bats, riots, crop failures, and one of the most spectacular corporate disasters ever conceived. Join Heaton for the strange, hilarious, and cautionary tale of what happens when industrial genius collides with nature, culture, and the limits of human planning.

HEAR THE FULL EPISODE: www.thepoliticalorphanage.com 

Up next
Today
Cicero and the Founding Fathers (Rebroadcast)
Jeffrey Rosen is a legal scholar and the President of the National Constitution Center. He's the author "the Pursuit of Happiness: How Classical Writers on Virtue Inspired the Lives of the Founders and Defined America." 
1h 8m
Jun 24
Zuby Grew up in a Company Town
Zuby is a British rapper who spent his childhood on a Saudi Aramco compound—a sprawling corporate community complete with schools, recreation, housing, and services. We discuss what it was like growing up in a place where one company effectively functioned as the local government ... Show More
51m 18s
Jun 17
The Dark Side of Corporate Utopia: Pullman vs. Hershey
George Pullman built his employees a sparkling company town with clean homes, parks, libraries, luxury trains, and some of the best living conditions in the country—but demanded obedience in return. When recession hit and workers rebelled against wage cuts and paternalistic contr ... Show More
1h 4m
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
6 PM ET: Trump’s primetime speech, Ukraine aid cuts, Bob Newhart dies & more
Former President Donald Trump will give his first speech at the Republican National Convention since surviving an assassination attempt last weekend. Vice President Kamala Harris weighed in on JD Vance's speech at the RNC during a rally today. Germany plans to cut its military ai ... Show More
6m 29s
Jul 2024
"I Will Do the Right Thing for those Children in Gaza." - Hollywood Star Rob Delaney Speaks Out
On this week's episode of 'We're Not Kidding,' Mehdi travels to London to speak with U.S. comedian, writer, and actor Rob Delaney, who has lived in the UK for the last 10 years. In this powerful, wide-ranging, and at times emotional conversation, Rob speaks with Mehdi about how t ... Show More
44m 24s
Sep 2025
The Aftermath of Charlie Kirk’s Killing
<p>We look at the hunt for the killer of the right-wing activist Charlie Kirk and at the political fallout of his assassination.</p><p>Nicholas Bogel-Borroughs, an investigative reporter at The New York Times, discusses why the police are struggling to answer basic questions abou ... Show More
27m 24s
Feb 2024
Conan O'Brien asks about time travel
The hilariously handsome, handsomely hilarious Conan O'Brien asks about time travel on this week's episode! Plus suppositories, comedy mixtapes, and a visit from the one and only Willy the Wizard!We have a LOVE-themed live streaming show, February 12! Tickets here: https://www.sq ... Show More
52m 48s
Nov 2025
Trump’s Affordability Tailspin: 50-Year Mortgages, Tariff Checks & Maybe Socialism | Rob Riggle
The Democrats' popular affordability platform has Trump jealously weaving plans for 50-year mortgages and socialist-seeming tariff rebates, and Josh Johnson deciphers how the “money man” president thinks $2,000 checks will solve everything. On this edition of Who Won It Best, Des ... Show More
39m 50s
Sep 2025
The Plan to Turn Charlie Kirk's Murder Into a Crackdown on the Left
<p>On Tuesday, prosecutors charged the man suspected of killing Charlie Kirk with aggravated murder, vowed to seek the death penalty and released a mountain of new evidence against him.</p><p>Jack Healy, who has been covering the killing of Mr. Kirk for The New York Times, explai ... Show More
34m 19s
Sep 2024
Exclusive Frontline Insight From Ukraine’s Army Chief and a Hollywood Hitmaker’s New Murder-mystery
Christiane is in Ukraine this week as the country faces its biggest government shakeup since Russia’s full-scale invasion began over 30 months ago, with the war at a critical turning point. She sits down with Ukraine’s Army Chief, General Oleksandr Syrskyi, for an exclusive inter ... Show More
40m 41s