Paper Empires
True stories of big dreams that failed
We dig into history's most fascinating failures. Lost cities. Doomed companies. Impossible dreams. Find out what went wrong — and why it still matters today.
Pick a Story. Hit Play.
Firestone Liberia: America's Rubber Plantation Empire
How Firestone Tire & Rubber Company transformed Liberia into America's largest rubber plantation through a controversial 99-year lease, creating a corporate colony that exploited workers and shaped a nation's destiny during the global rubber wars.
Red Rubber: The King Who Never Saw His Crime
How King Leopold II of Belgium orchestrated one of history's deadliest atrocities from his palace in Brussels, killing an estimated 10 million Congolese people in the pursuit of rubber wealth—a death toll comparable to the Holocaust. This is the story of a humanitarian facade that concealed industrial genocide, told through the voices of victims, missionaries who exposed the truth, and the monarch who never set foot in his empire of terror.
Fordlandia: Henry Ford's $20 Million Amazon Disaster
In 1927, Henry Ford tried to build an American utopia in the Brazilian Amazon. White picket fences, square dances, and fire hydrants from Michigan—all transplanted into the world's most untamed jungle. What he got was worker riots, ecological collapse, and a $20 million ghost town. This is the story of Fordlandia.
History Podcast About Failures
Someone had a big idea. They spent millions. It all fell apart. We tell you what happened.
Each episode covers one real story. A car company in the jungle. A city built on impossible promises. A dream that turned into a disaster. You'll learn what went wrong — and why smart people keep making the same mistakes.
No fancy words. No boring lectures. Just true stories that are stranger than fiction. Perfect for commutes, workouts, or when you can't sleep.
"Wait, that actually happened?"
— Everyone who listens