$2500 and a Dream: Fansteel and the History of Tantalum

$2500 and a Dream: Fansteel and the History of Tantalum

Author: Charts & Leisure December 13, 2023 Duration: 50:09
The history of the commercial application of tantalum is a story of labor exploitation, suppressing militant organizing, state-backed development of global supply chains, the ups and downs of corporate raider capitalism, environmental damage and legal chicanery. It’s a story of technological development deeply bound up with, and used to perpetuate colonial violence. And it might have something to tell us about the current era of mineral supply chain anxieties in the United States. Our research into the history of the tantalum capacitor brought us to the U.S. National Archives, old electronics magazine collections, eBay, and ultimately to the subject of this episode: Fansteel

Ever wonder what really happens when a giant company stumbles or a once-beloved brand simply vanishes? RIP Corp digs into the fascinating, often surprising stories behind these collapses. Each episode focuses on a single failed business, peeling back the layers to reveal not just what went wrong, but why it mattered. Hosted by Ingrid Burrington, this podcast from Charts & Leisure is more than a post-mortem; it’s a deep dive into the cultural and historical footprints these enterprises leave behind. You’ll hear about flawed strategies, shifting markets, and the human decisions that led to each demise, all set against a rich backdrop of original music and sound design. Think of it as walking through a curated archive of ambition and its limits, where every story offers a lesson about the world we built. The production, led by Meghal Janardan and Mike Rugnetta, ensures these narratives are as engaging as they are informative. For anyone curious about the intersections of history, business, and society, this podcast provides a compelling, thoughtful listen. It’s about understanding failure not as an end, but as a complex chapter in our collective story. Tune in to explore the quiet, and sometimes noisy, corners of the dead mall of business history.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 22

RIP Corp
Podcast Episodes
Welcome to RIP Corp [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 2:15
On each episode of RIP Corp, we going to tell the story of one failed business, or a business failure. Join us in the dead mall of business history.