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this episode was heartbreaking, i can't imagine what it was like for edsel to go through that as someone who probably shares a fair few personality traits with him
Really hit me with the part about his father trying to provoke him and “make him a real man”. Heard story after story of parents thinking they are helping their kids by bullying them
Poor foolish families. But I do give the Fords credit that they accomplished things for the world. If I were to make a version of Henry in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, it would be fascinating to explore him as a lich who pioneers new ways to do Magic, that change how Wizards all over the Realms do magic, but of course one chooses a Lich because it would be appropriate to suggest it cost poor Henry his Soul as a damned living undead. Perhaps the Adventurers could be tasked on the Highest Epic imaginable: Is it possible to reverse a Horcrux ritual and *return* Henry's soul to him? Can he be viewed more like Darth Vader than like Voldemort? Does having a wife and children have a chance of magically redeeming him to reclaim humanity? Thought provoking questions I would say. I would say Henry broke or did not understand or did not appreciate his son. But I would say he attempted to love his son in the manner that made sense to him. By all means compare it to the failures of Odin in the Marvel version of Thor. I believe he cared and I'd be quite interested to continue to read what intelligent authors have to say about the nuances and the failures from a point of view of calling it a nightmarish tragedy with a large blast radius of collateral damage.
I remember my dad telling me about the empty hole in the ground story that he heard from his dad when he was young. I thought it was probably just a myth!
I think Ford is a prime example of the importance of, when learning history, not letting the good outshine the bad, but also not letting the bad overshadow the good. To truly understand we examine the whole.
Not only that, but that also makes the person in question much more interesting. Another good example of this was the Extra Sci Fi episode on John W. Campbell. A person should be depicted with all their faults and virtues so you can be inspired by their achievements and learn from their failures.
Edsel deserved better. Fathers like Henry ford don't want their children to exceed them, they want them to be just as horrible as they are. It is very likely that the stomach cancer Edsel got, was been caused by the sheer level of stress Henry caused his son.
@@spectator8401I almost wonder, if his dad would have been nicer to him, what are the chances that he could calmly convinced him to, if not stop, at least moderate his drinking and smoking
Somehow it had not occurred to me until you said he died in 1947 that Ford was still alive during my own parents' lifetime. Because of when most of his notable achievements happened -vs- how long he just sort of languished in obscurity toward the end, his story always seems to exist in this far-off, out of time, place of mythic "pre-war" era in my head, but it was shockingly recent in the scope of things.
As much as we credit Ford for his work for helping shape america, the darker side of him during his later life is unforgivable. Not to mention how he treated Edsel even after he learned he had stomach cancer. Goes to show us that figures of history aren’t as squeaky clean as we wish they were. Thank you Extra History for telling this tale! Your work is always a joy to watch!
Ford is partially responsible for the h0I0caust, as H!tler's writings and ideology closely followed Ford's publishings, and supposedly influenced H!tler's opinions.
My dad is a VP at his union, so you can probably imagine my personal opinions on ford, but man, knowing your son thought you hated him up to the moment he died is a feeling I wouldn’t wish on anyone
@@str2010 I mean Henry Ford. After what he did to Edsel, the guilt eating him alive is the least of what he deserves, and I have little to no sympathy.
@@ProfessorChaos56 It does no good to wish harm on others, even if they've wronged you, if it doesn't result in better outcomes. Vengence and selfloathing are equally parasitic. There is no good which comes from either of them in a vacuum. They can motivate positive changes. But why not just be motivated to be positive instead? It's so much easier and more fulfilling to enjoy life without basing morality on reward and punishment.
My dad was that way too. Always viewed me as weak but chose to torment me through physical violence to "toughen me up". All it did was distance me from him
Wow, to see what all edsel was put through and still was running the company, loved by everyone and even missed by his gone mad father, he mustve been a very strong man completely opposite of what Henry thought of him
It's always unfortunate that those with a quiet strength like Edsel can and often do get browbeat and shunned because they don't match the huge outward strength of men like Henry.
Thank you so much for talking about Harry Bennett and the Battle of the Overpass! My Boy Scout summer camp growing up was at a camp called Lost Lake. This property used to be owned by Harry Bennett and the house that he built was still standing. Last time I was there was in 2013. We were given tours of the house, and the house reflected how awful of a man he was. He made alot of enemies and was paranoid that his sins would come back to haunt him. His house was designed to look like a wood cottage on the outside, but each of the “wooden logs” was made of concrete, with the house being bomb resistant and basically bulletproof. All the stairs in the house were uneven and had unique depth and height, with the hope that intruders unfamiliar with the house would trip on the stairs. All his furniture had hidden compartments with firearms inside. His chimney had a secret ladder up to his roof, which had a fortified machine gun emplacement. He had a really deep moat dug around his house, with the bridges across the moat being rigged to explode. He also had a swimming pool, but it had a secret room underneath the pool with a one-way mirror so that he could creep on the swimmers. The basement of the house was the most disturbing part. The basement had one large room, it had red linoleum walls and a red linoleum floor. It had one support pillar in the center of the room, with a drain right next to it. The whole floor gradually sloped towards the floor where the pillar and drain was. The speculation was that this was where he tortured and intimidated union sympathizers and organizers, with the blood being easy to hide and clean up. It changed my perspective on Henry Ford forever. Also, the Ford company actually sued the US government after ww2 for damages because of the damage done to their factories, by the allies. So Ford profited off of both sides and got the government to pay for it.
I swear, I nearly wanted to cry when I saw how much Ford hurt his son. As someone who's parents weren't exactly the "nicest" of people, (towards me, at least), and who has been suffering from the repercussions of their actions towards me, this hits a little too close to home.
Henry Ford: "Why can't my son become more like me?" Also HF: [acting in incredibly petty and cruel ways that'd destroy any appreciation his son would hold for him]
Anyone who grew up in Michigan probably has been to the Henry Ford museum. We all took field trips there as kids and had a blast in Greenfield village. But Ford is the specter that haunts it. Knowing that he had such terrible demons that led him to lash out at the world sours the experience to a degree.
My great grandfather was a worker at the plant and wounded at the event known as the battle of the overpass described here 6:10 Thanks for making this video Extra History about one of the most influential, innovative, ignorant and infamous men in US history whose name
Fun fact: Ford's first factory outside of America was in Co.Cork, Ireland - near to where Ford's father was born - and operated from 1917 to 1984 (the next year Ireland would drop import taxes on imported cars due to an EU agreement) and the Ford company continues to supply the official car of the Mayor of Cork City to this day
Something you guys don’t get enough credit for is your endings. Every last one has made me feel stunned and makes the subject stick in my head for days afterwards. They are truly profound. Thank you!
I love the way that Henry's grief is portrayed when Edsel tells him about his cancer. It's such a humanizing moment to watch him struggle, to pin the blame on his son when he know's it's not Edsel's fault. He can do nothing to change it. He's looking for someone, anyone to blame, maybe he feels guilty that he wasn't a better father when he had the chance? It makes me stop and feel bad for a man that over the course of the series I've grown to like less and less. Great job guys!
This kind of context is critically important. Turning historical figures into mythologized heroes to push a founding narrative blinds people to the deeper, more complicated truth, and the lessons that can be learned from the actual story and applied to the present.
I will say I think mythologizing historical figures has a purpose. For example, I think mythologizing the founding fathers made American populations, and America as a result, stronger in spirit
Eulogizing the positive has just as much value as scorning the bad. The trick ia being open and honest to the whole truth The Framers were rich elitists, many among them slavers. But they let the cat out of the bag on liberalism and small-r republicanism. Ford was an antisemetic busybody, but he in part engineered the modern world. We shouldn't forget the negatives, but the positives are worth celebrating and in many ways outlive the men and their baggage
There a story a heard about a short conversation between Ford and Bennett after Edsel had died. To my knowledge this is all true. Ford: "Harry, do you think I was ever cruel to Edsel?" Bennett: "Not cruel, but unfair. If it were me, I'd have gotten mad." Ford: "That's what I wanted him to do....get mad..."
@@blaster915 He wanted his son to stand up for himself. Which isn't a bad desire to be honest. The problem was Ford tried to FORCE this out of his son by cornering him, thinking taht like a cornered animal he'd become stronger in order to overcome him. But that just wasn't who Edsel was. He didn't have it in him to be that kind of person or to challange people head on like that. It wasn't about being toxic, it was about being the kind of man Ford thought was needed to run the company. He was wrong of course, but the intent was good. He was just too damn stubborn to ever accept he'd made a mistake.
This channel has changed so much for the better, but still kept the strong identity its had this whole time. It's been a staple of my youtube diet for half a decade.
As someone who lives in Detroit. Has passed the building and dealerships and been to greenfield village. It's amazing the bits of history they don't talk about that I've learned here. Thank you for this series
I honestly wish people talked about Edsel and his accomplishments in the company more. He showed a lot of promise in leading the company and improving upon Henry already established models. It really makes you wonder what could have been if Henry was less overbearing and cruel
As someone who worked at the Henry Ford Museum, the nitty gritty of the institution in Ford's lifetime, the massive collection of artifacts not on display, and the extended grounds in general are some strangest things and places I've ever had the semi-pleasure to experience and work around. So many strange things, but some really interesting history. I can understand why the episode gave a brief summary of how morally and politically despicable Henry Ford was, but it is infuriating more people don't know the extent of this aspect of the man. This is most clearly expressed in his published works, but also his employment of Harry Bennett. The man was so paranoid about retribution from workers for all the murders and disappearances he committed, that multiple residences were built like fortresses so he could more easily kill those who sought any kind of justice. The man was a monster through and through. Thanks so much for making this series, and not glossing over all the horrible stuff that doesn't get taught in US schools.
He learned from Philip Pullman very well it seems (dude fears getting murked by his own workers so much he instructed in his will to bury him under reinforced concrete so that his remains won't be desecrated by the workers he despised and feared...
Fun fact: The Rouge Factory was so big that it needed its own fire, security, power, and water systems. It used more water than Detroit, New Orleans, and Cincinnati combined! There was 100 miles of railroad tracks just to move stuff around, and Ford employed over 75,000 people there! It truly was a city that made automobiles.
My Grandfather was an original employee at the River Rouge plant. He worked their from 1912 to 1947. Retired after 35 years. I still have his 35 year gift. A gold pocket watch with 7 rubies on the inside. It's pretty cool.
Honestly i cant help but feel sorry for Ford. As a kid he wanted to change the world for the better and give families like his a chance at the world and its opportunities that it can offer. Only to miss the world he had helped kill, a world that while it had is flaws, was still a world that offered something. Hope Ford and his family can find peace
Just came back from a family farm outside detroit and saw the ford plant and theme park in a whole new light. Great channel and accurate story telling. Thanks extra history homies!
With talking about Henry Ford this way, I really want to see some more series about characters who could be argued to be morally dubious throughout history
No need to worry, Matt! I personally have been a proud Nebula subscriber since I first heard about it in either 2020 or 2021. Admittedly, it was originally to watch TierZoo's more exclusive content, but I was overjoyed to hear that you had joined the platform. Not to mention how successful Nebula has become over the years.
It's one of those great bits of historical irony that the name Edsel Ford is nowadays mostly remembered for a car that became synonymous with failure...
Excellent series guys!! I also definitely didn't learn all the negatives about Henry Ford. Honestly, his later life is just tragic. He was clearly so unhappy and not self-aware enough to examine his own impact on his own misery
That is something a lot of Americans still do: Mistake Anger for Strength.... Being able to throw a punch does not change reality, to fit a misconception.
Correction: we do NOT see Anger inherently as a part of Strength. Only when it is channeled, focused, sharpened, and carefully directed can it be of use. In short, anger is useful, impatience NEVER is.
Consider a series on the fall of Fortress Singapore in 1942. It’s quite interesting. Greatest defeat in British military history according to Churchill.
7:09 One year earlier in 1940 he refused to build the Merlin-engine under licence for britains "Spitfire". Lord Beaverbrook asked him, he declined and Packard got the deal. This was the beginning of the support for britain by the USA.
We always revel in the tales of the ascent of great men, but we always get an abridged version of their decline. Thank you guys for giving the full details of these historical figures, lest they be misrepresented
Ferrari said, “you aren’t Henry Ford, you’re Henry Ford the Second.” This was a great series. I went to Greenfield village as a kid. Henry Fords sanitized accomplishments were bedtime stories for me growing up. I appreciate learning more:)
Edsel probably drank because he was depressed and miserable. He became only a shadow of what he could have been because he was constantly put down and all his initiatives destroyed by his father. Eventually he just gave up.
In the 1930's, both striking auto workers and coal miners had company thugs as well as police open fire on them with actual machine guns. I wish that workers who don't bother with labor organizing would think about the sacrifices that prior generations of workers made, the battles they fought for a better future for not only themselves but for people in their profession, and develop a "pay it forward" attitude about it instead of enjoying the past accomplishments for labor fairness while setting up the next generation to have more and more of that taken away from them by their corporate masters with their bought and paid pocket politicians.
That's exactly what the working people of the US need to do. In my country the economic gap is a lot smaller between rich and poor than it is in the US. But our unions has always been strong and they must remain so. In the 30's government soldiers fired upon coal strikers. I also recall the Bonus Army March to Washington in the 30's to ask for their money in advance due to their efforts in World War I. They were cleared out eventually by the regular army which cointaned Eisenhower, Montgomery and Patton. Although Eisenhower was against the eviction as he felt it was wrong to go against veterans.
It's probably more of an issue of what those labor organizations fight for, or the corruption that can (or inevitably does) creep in when their initial/primary missions are complete and they need something else to fight for. I'm not saying they're bad, just that the way some of the modern ones have turned has likely soured some/many on them.
IIRC didn't Ford basically try to sue the US Government in WW2 for damages done to the Ford plants in occupied Europe? And the President was like "Fine. We'll nationalise you." and he verrrry quickly backed down.
Great video series guys! I used to work at Ford here in Australia and even here they used to revere Henry Ford like some sort of Messiah, we got emails of quotes from him...funny how they tended to gloss over the darker stuff 😂 Another awesome series 😊
Ok. This is the best end credit ad read transition you guys have done so far, with all those poster, studio background that then transit to real Matt and Zoey.
If you ever get a chance visit the Henry Ford museum and greenfield village in Detroit. It's amazing, obviously it tends to lionize Ford if course but it's really an amazing monument to industry and American history.
Henry Ford is the best example for how humans have great potential and what happens when they reach that peak. But at the end of the day they are still human and not without their flaws or vulnerabilities. What I see is a man, that was so stubborn, that he revolutionized americas technology. Though that stubborness lead him to alienate himself in the end and filling him with regret in his later years.
This was a wonderful series. Thank you all so much for giving us all the nuance and backstory. It really humanizes historical figures like Ford and makes history so kuch more relateable.
My family used to be all about Ford’s cars and trucks, but tbh the people who made these cars iconic and memorable were as far away from Henry Ford’s ideals and viewpoints…they’re the real heroes of the car culture we have today.
Bill Ford, Henry's great grandson, gave a speech recently at the River Rouge plant calling on UAW workers to go back to work without the increase in compensation they're asking for, despite Ford Motors' record setting profits.
Its how dads are, i worked really hard building a heating company and my dad never once asked me to work on his furnace. It bummed me out for my whole life.
A really beautiful example of a brilliant historical figure that, like just about all of them if we dig enough, was neither pure good or evil. Loved some of the stuff I'd never heard in this but wish certain other things that, even if better known, were still mentioned to maintain that theme of a very complex figure.
@oceanberserker Do the final years of a man's life erase what came before? If so Nobel is ecstatic I am sure, though if any man washed it away with action it's him. But I more meant take a video or two ago. When it talked about him shorting his shareholders which got overruled in court? It didn't discuss how he was doing that was diverting company profits to reward the employees by massively increasing their wages which as mentioned were already high. Instead they ruled for the shareholders which has been foundational in the corporatism that is endemic today that feasts on unions, job security, and what have you for short term shareholder rewards. I'm just saying I think by brushing over early bads and washing out later goods to keep a cohesive narrative it did lose a bit of complexity. Maybe I'll watch the 'lies' episode for this one.
@@johnarnold8485 What good shall it profit a man that he gains ownership of the entire world at the cost of his soul? Ford's downfall personally, and to a lesser degree professionally, was of his own making. Does that take away the great step forward that he took? No, it does not. But those same accomplishments ipso facto also don't take away what he had become in his later life and near the end of it. It's called a 'fall from Grace' for a reason. And let me remind you that even in his own time, beyond his acumen for business and engineering, Ford was NOT looked upon kindly by his contemporaries in practically everything else, those with even a shred of decency anyway, and for good reason.
Highland Park Plant is located on Woodward Ave. in Highland Park. The River Rouge Plant is located in Dearborn where the Ford Headquarters is also located.
I'm sad this episode didn't have time for the story of how henry ford purchased the workshop of the Wright Brothers As something that was known to be historically important the town was super jazzed about someone buying it and turning it into a museum, that is until they woke up one morning and found it had been disassembled brick by brick and transported from where it was from to greenfield village, the town was absolutely pissed. Having grown up going to Henry ford Museum and Greenfield village (Same grounds 2 entrance fees, they've got some really interesting buildings like the aforementioned Wright brothers work shop and Edison's home and lab, not reconstructions but the actual bricks and foundation moved there) its fun hearing about this stuff some of it new some of it i already knew thought leaving out some family member which are locally well known.
Another fun fact: Edsel would live on as the name sake of a Ford model and almost as another brand in the Ford Motor Company. Edsel would’ve been a brand sort of between Ford and Mercury. Also, Ford v. Ferrari has some more history on both Henry Ford II and Ford’s racing division.
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You guys always make My days better!!🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤
@@danielsantiagourtado3430
@@extrahistory You guys are the Best! ❤️❤️❤️🔥🔥🔥
Love the content, can you cover the swedish revolution
yeah lets not pretend, he did alot of good stuff for industrialization but he was a gangster thug in alot of ways.
It feels his life changed him from a boy who hated horses, to a man who simply hated
That's the thing about anger and hatred. You need something/someone to focus it towards, otherwise all it will do is stew and change you
He didn’t want Americans to be sucked into financial usury. Today our country is $34 trillion in debt. 👈that’s the only hate I see.
@@E_Clampus_VitusHe had seen how debt destroyed farm families.
in both ways, he got rid of the horses.
This episode ending by calling back to "a boy who hated horses" is brilliant. Thanks guys.
You can also call Henry Ford by this: “The Man Who Created Modern America by Destroying His Own World”.
Nice Emoji !@@extrahistory
@@extrahistoryyour ending lines are really good.
They give me goosebumps.
Not the bad kind like the omg kind.
Spoiler alert!?!
this episode was heartbreaking, i can't imagine what it was like for edsel to go through that as someone who probably shares a fair few personality traits with him
It is tough to see happen. Especially because he was so innovative. you think that would carry him through life and he would continue to do so.
Really hit me with the part about his father trying to provoke him and “make him a real man”. Heard story after story of parents thinking they are helping their kids by bullying them
Poor foolish families.
But I do give the Fords credit that they accomplished things for the world.
If I were to make a version of Henry in a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, it would be fascinating to explore him as a lich who pioneers new ways to do Magic, that change how Wizards all over the Realms do magic, but of course one chooses a Lich because it would be appropriate to suggest it cost poor Henry his Soul as a damned living undead.
Perhaps the Adventurers could be tasked on the Highest Epic imaginable:
Is it possible to reverse a Horcrux ritual and *return* Henry's soul to him? Can he be viewed more like Darth Vader than like Voldemort? Does having a wife and children have a chance of magically redeeming him to reclaim humanity?
Thought provoking questions I would say.
I would say Henry broke or did not understand or did not appreciate his son.
But I would say he attempted to love his son in the manner that made sense to him. By all means compare it to the failures of Odin in the Marvel version of Thor.
I believe he cared and I'd be quite interested to continue to read what intelligent authors have to say about the nuances and the failures from a point of view of calling it a nightmarish tragedy with a large blast radius of collateral damage.
I remember my dad telling me about the empty hole in the ground story that he heard from his dad when he was young. I thought it was probably just a myth!
I think Ford is a prime example of the importance of, when learning history, not letting the good outshine the bad, but also not letting the bad overshadow the good. To truly understand we examine the whole.
yeah like Nikola Tesla. Sure he revolutionized a new way to use electricity, but he was also outspoken in his beliefs of eugenics.
@@GiordanDiodatoAnd fell in deep love with a pidgeon.
@@jokuvaan5175 that is the funniest thing I have ever heard if thats true
Well said, especially in times like ours
Not only that, but that also makes the person in question much more interesting. Another good example of this was the Extra Sci Fi episode on John W. Campbell. A person should be depicted with all their faults and virtues so you can be inspired by their achievements and learn from their failures.
Henry Ford literally lived long enough to see himself become the villain.
money is the root of all evil, we touch it every day, we stare at it long enough that it starts to stare back in.
@@aceous99The love of money is the root to all evil.
@aceous99 no, the root of all evil is power, and money is a type of power.
Probably would've only needed to live to his 40s though.
there is no root of all evil, it all depends on the persons personality and the situation they find themself in
Edsel deserved better. Fathers like Henry ford don't want their children to exceed them, they want them to be just as horrible as they are. It is very likely that the stomach cancer Edsel got, was been caused by the sheer level of stress Henry caused his son.
exacerbated by his smoking and drinking habits too
how tragic that a small rebellion against his dad tyrant ways backfired
@@spectator8401I almost wonder, if his dad would have been nicer to him, what are the chances that he could calmly convinced him to, if not stop, at least moderate his drinking and smoking
@@Nostripe361 I wonder if Henry himself thought the same things in his final moments.
@@nathanseper8738Rotters like him almost never do. I'm surprised his grandson didn't attempt to get payback for what he did to his father, Edsel.
@@oceanberserker Well, Henry Ford II did get control of the company from his grandfather. Maybe that was payback?
Somehow it had not occurred to me until you said he died in 1947 that Ford was still alive during my own parents' lifetime. Because of when most of his notable achievements happened -vs- how long he just sort of languished in obscurity toward the end, his story always seems to exist in this far-off, out of time, place of mythic "pre-war" era in my head, but it was shockingly recent in the scope of things.
He was alive during ww2
Yeah, the fact that he lived through the Civil War and the Cold War shows just how recent slavery actually was
As much as we credit Ford for his work for helping shape america, the darker side of him during his later life is unforgivable. Not to mention how he treated Edsel even after he learned he had stomach cancer. Goes to show us that figures of history aren’t as squeaky clean as we wish they were.
Thank you Extra History for telling this tale! Your work is always a joy to watch!
Historical people are just people. Lots of good and lots of bad. Thanks so much for hanging out with us today!
nobody suffered from success quite like the 20th century industrial tycoons
A truly american in every way possible
Ford is partially responsible for the h0I0caust, as H!tler's writings and ideology closely followed Ford's publishings, and supposedly influenced H!tler's opinions.
Ford's dark side shaped america just as much as his technical and engineering acumen. Perhaps even more so.
The best quote I have heard to summarize his life is '' Henry Ford, genius until he really wasn't''.
I hate how perfectly this fits him
Ford is like the cartoon villain. He’s the ceo of aperture science who went insane and started ranting about lemons to his employees
Cave Johnson.... You are completely right
Down to the god danm hair.
My dad is a VP at his union, so you can probably imagine my personal opinions on ford, but man, knowing your son thought you hated him up to the moment he died is a feeling I wouldn’t wish on anyone
He has no one but himself to blame.
@@ProfessorChaos56 By himself, you mean Henry Ford or his son?
@@str2010probably Henry
@@str2010 I mean Henry Ford. After what he did to Edsel, the guilt eating him alive is the least of what he deserves, and I have little to no sympathy.
@@ProfessorChaos56 It does no good to wish harm on others, even if they've wronged you, if it doesn't result in better outcomes.
Vengence and selfloathing are equally parasitic. There is no good which comes from either of them in a vacuum. They can motivate positive changes. But why not just be motivated to be positive instead? It's so much easier and more fulfilling to enjoy life without basing morality on reward and punishment.
My dad was that way too. Always viewed me as weak but chose to torment me through physical violence to "toughen me up". All it did was distance me from him
🙏
I’m sorry to hear that.
Wow, to see what all edsel was put through and still was running the company, loved by everyone and even missed by his gone mad father, he mustve been a very strong man completely opposite of what Henry thought of him
Absolutely
The kind of person who only understands one kind of strength because it's the kind it would take to overcome *them* .
It's always unfortunate that those with a quiet strength like Edsel can and often do get browbeat and shunned because they don't match the huge outward strength of men like Henry.
Edsel might've been what Henry wished he still was
@@SirToaster9330 And to some people, that's the worst thing another person can be. Even in your own family.
Thank you so much for talking about Harry Bennett and the Battle of the Overpass! My Boy Scout summer camp growing up was at a camp called Lost Lake. This property used to be owned by Harry Bennett and the house that he built was still standing. Last time I was there was in 2013. We were given tours of the house, and the house reflected how awful of a man he was. He made alot of enemies and was paranoid that his sins would come back to haunt him. His house was designed to look like a wood cottage on the outside, but each of the “wooden logs” was made of concrete, with the house being bomb resistant and basically bulletproof. All the stairs in the house were uneven and had unique depth and height, with the hope that intruders unfamiliar with the house would trip on the stairs. All his furniture had hidden compartments with firearms inside. His chimney had a secret ladder up to his roof, which had a fortified machine gun emplacement. He had a really deep moat dug around his house, with the bridges across the moat being rigged to explode. He also had a swimming pool, but it had a secret room underneath the pool with a one-way mirror so that he could creep on the swimmers.
The basement of the house was the most disturbing part. The basement had one large room, it had red linoleum walls and a red linoleum floor. It had one support pillar in the center of the room, with a drain right next to it. The whole floor gradually sloped towards the floor where the pillar and drain was. The speculation was that this was where he tortured and intimidated union sympathizers and organizers, with the blood being easy to hide and clean up. It changed my perspective on Henry Ford forever.
Also, the Ford company actually sued the US government after ww2 for damages because of the damage done to their factories, by the allies. So Ford profited off of both sides and got the government to pay for it.
I like bean-ally and bean-rob desperately running after the little animated car with Zoey and the child in it.
Hehehe... the artists do such a good job. I'm always impressed with what they come up with. It's MAGIC!
9:15
Wow....this is sad. Seeing your own creation being destroyed in the scrap heap by your own father is an emotionally destructive experience.
So Adolf had a life-size portrait of Henry Ford?
And people think that body-pillows with anime characters is a modern thing…
lol
Adolf was ahead of his time lol.
Damn
@@extrahistoryI love that Pog champ face.
"You are ze only vone who understands me, Heinrich-chan..."
I swear, I nearly wanted to cry when I saw how much Ford hurt his son. As someone who's parents weren't exactly the "nicest" of people, (towards me, at least), and who has been suffering from the repercussions of their actions towards me, this hits a little too close to home.
At least he got a short-lived brand named after him.
Henry Ford: "Why can't my son become more like me?"
Also HF: [acting in incredibly petty and cruel ways that'd destroy any appreciation his son would hold for him]
Anyone who grew up in Michigan probably has been to the Henry Ford museum. We all took field trips there as kids and had a blast in Greenfield village.
But Ford is the specter that haunts it. Knowing that he had such terrible demons that led him to lash out at the world sours the experience to a degree.
Ooo we didnt think of that. It turns it into a spooky road trip 💀
My great grandfather was a worker at the plant and wounded at the event known as the battle of the overpass described here 6:10
Thanks for making this video Extra History about one of the most influential, innovative, ignorant and infamous men in US history whose name
Fun fact:
Ford's first factory outside of America was in Co.Cork, Ireland - near to where Ford's father was born - and operated from 1917 to 1984 (the next year Ireland would drop import taxes on imported cars due to an EU agreement) and the Ford company continues to supply the official car of the Mayor of Cork City to this day
Something you guys don’t get enough credit for is your endings. Every last one has made me feel stunned and makes the subject stick in my head for days afterwards. They are truly profound. Thank you!
Thank you! I"ll pass your comments along to the writer! They really get me too.
I love the way that Henry's grief is portrayed when Edsel tells him about his cancer. It's such a humanizing moment to watch him struggle, to pin the blame on his son when he know's it's not Edsel's fault. He can do nothing to change it. He's looking for someone, anyone to blame, maybe he feels guilty that he wasn't a better father when he had the chance? It makes me stop and feel bad for a man that over the course of the series I've grown to like less and less.
Great job guys!
This kind of context is critically important. Turning historical figures into mythologized heroes to push a founding narrative blinds people to the deeper, more complicated truth, and the lessons that can be learned from the actual story and applied to the present.
I will say I think mythologizing historical figures has a purpose. For example, I think mythologizing the founding fathers made American populations, and America as a result, stronger in spirit
Eulogizing the positive has just as much value as scorning the bad. The trick ia being open and honest to the whole truth
The Framers were rich elitists, many among them slavers. But they let the cat out of the bag on liberalism and small-r republicanism. Ford was an antisemetic busybody, but he in part engineered the modern world.
We shouldn't forget the negatives, but the positives are worth celebrating and in many ways outlive the men and their baggage
And the people need something to look up to.
There a story a heard about a short conversation between Ford and Bennett after Edsel had died. To my knowledge this is all true.
Ford: "Harry, do you think I was ever cruel to Edsel?"
Bennett: "Not cruel, but unfair. If it were me, I'd have gotten mad."
Ford: "That's what I wanted him to do....get mad..."
Toxic parents wanting toxic traits in their children 😢
@@blaster915
“Good, good, let the Madness flow through you…”.
@@extrahistory 🥺
@@blaster915 He wanted his son to stand up for himself. Which isn't a bad desire to be honest.
The problem was Ford tried to FORCE this out of his son by cornering him, thinking taht like a cornered animal he'd become stronger in order to overcome him.
But that just wasn't who Edsel was. He didn't have it in him to be that kind of person or to challange people head on like that.
It wasn't about being toxic, it was about being the kind of man Ford thought was needed to run the company. He was wrong of course, but the intent was good. He was just too damn stubborn to ever accept he'd made a mistake.
This channel has changed so much for the better, but still kept the strong identity its had this whole time. It's been a staple of my youtube diet for half a decade.
Thank you so much! We're always trying to improve our content and keep learning fun.
As someone who lives in Detroit. Has passed the building and dealerships and been to greenfield village. It's amazing the bits of history they don't talk about that I've learned here. Thank you for this series
I honestly wish people talked about Edsel and his accomplishments in the company more. He showed a lot of promise in leading the company and improving upon Henry already established models. It really makes you wonder what could have been if Henry was less overbearing and cruel
As someone who worked at the Henry Ford Museum, the nitty gritty of the institution in Ford's lifetime, the massive collection of artifacts not on display, and the extended grounds in general are some strangest things and places I've ever had the semi-pleasure to experience and work around. So many strange things, but some really interesting history. I can understand why the episode gave a brief summary of how morally and politically despicable Henry Ford was, but it is infuriating more people don't know the extent of this aspect of the man. This is most clearly expressed in his published works, but also his employment of Harry Bennett. The man was so paranoid about retribution from workers for all the murders and disappearances he committed, that multiple residences were built like fortresses so he could more easily kill those who sought any kind of justice. The man was a monster through and through. Thanks so much for making this series, and not glossing over all the horrible stuff that doesn't get taught in US schools.
He learned from Philip Pullman very well it seems (dude fears getting murked by his own workers so much he instructed in his will to bury him under reinforced concrete so that his remains won't be desecrated by the workers he despised and feared...
Fun fact: The Rouge Factory was so big that it needed its own fire, security, power, and water systems. It used more water than Detroit, New Orleans, and Cincinnati combined! There was 100 miles of railroad tracks just to move stuff around, and Ford employed over 75,000 people there! It truly was a city that made automobiles.
My Grandfather was an original employee at the River Rouge plant. He worked their from 1912 to 1947. Retired after 35 years. I still have his 35 year gift. A gold pocket watch with 7 rubies on the inside. It's pretty cool.
Honestly i cant help but feel sorry for Ford. As a kid he wanted to change the world for the better and give families like his a chance at the world and its opportunities that it can offer.
Only to miss the world he had helped kill, a world that while it had is flaws, was still a world that offered something.
Hope Ford and his family can find peace
Moral of the story: just because you start with good intentions, doesn't mean reality ends up that way.
Not when the good intentions last about forty minutes, no...
Just came back from a family farm outside detroit and saw the ford plant and theme park in a whole new light. Great channel and accurate story telling. Thanks extra history homies!
Thanks for hanging out to watch!
I love the fordlandia shorts and I am glad to get a bit of context for them and what led up to that dumpster fire and what was happening at that time.
😂 YES!
With talking about Henry Ford this way, I really want to see some more series about characters who could be argued to be morally dubious throughout history
No need to worry, Matt! I personally have been a proud Nebula subscriber since I first heard about it in either 2020 or 2021. Admittedly, it was originally to watch TierZoo's more exclusive content, but I was overjoyed to hear that you had joined the platform. Not to mention how successful Nebula has become over the years.
Thank you extra history. You make the world a better place
Thank you for watching! It keeps our spirits high
Henry Ford, Genius turned Madman.
3:10 "good, good! Let the hate flow through you! It gives you... Ford Focus"
It's one of those great bits of historical irony that the name Edsel Ford is nowadays mostly remembered for a car that became synonymous with failure...
Hey Extra History! Love your show, been watching since the Ned Kelly series! Awesome work, keep it up!! ❤
Aww thank you so much for the kind words! We're so happy to have you here!
"Bean form" is such a great way to describe the art style
Excellent series guys!! I also definitely didn't learn all the negatives about Henry Ford. Honestly, his later life is just tragic. He was clearly so unhappy and not self-aware enough to examine his own impact on his own misery
I had never heard any of the darker sides of his story. Absolutely horrifying
That is something a lot of Americans still do:
Mistake Anger for Strength....
Being able to throw a punch does not change reality, to fit a misconception.
Correction: we do NOT see Anger inherently as a part of Strength. Only when it is channeled, focused, sharpened, and carefully directed can it be of use. In short, anger is useful, impatience NEVER is.
@oceanberserker hilarious take from a berserker
6:15 yeah the battle of the overpass honestly deserves like a short of itself. Cause it helped boost the United auto workers numbers
Consider a series on the fall of Fortress Singapore in 1942. It’s quite interesting. Greatest defeat in British military history according to Churchill.
And those who were stationed there became the POWs who were forced to build The Thai-Burma "Death" Railway under horrific conditions.
Coincidentally (or not), the place the British surrendered to the Japanese in Singapore was a Ford factory!
Ford was the classic case of a parent resenting his child for reflecting the different childhood he himself provided for his kid.
7:09 One year earlier in 1940 he refused to build the Merlin-engine under licence for britains "Spitfire". Lord Beaverbrook asked him, he declined and Packard got the deal. This was the beginning of the support for britain by the USA.
9:23 the animation at the end was so smooth and realistic
We always revel in the tales of the ascent of great men, but we always get an abridged version of their decline. Thank you guys for giving the full details of these historical figures, lest they be misrepresented
Ferrari said, “you aren’t Henry Ford, you’re Henry Ford the Second.”
This was a great series. I went to Greenfield village as a kid. Henry Fords sanitized accomplishments were bedtime stories for me growing up. I appreciate learning more:)
"You promised me the drive, not the win."
Wow that is very good animation and education
Thank you!
Edsel probably drank because he was depressed and miserable. He became only a shadow of what he could have been because he was constantly put down and all his initiatives destroyed by his father. Eventually he just gave up.
Ford was addicted to nostalgia
In the 1930's, both striking auto workers and coal miners had company thugs as well as police open fire on them with actual machine guns. I wish that workers who don't bother with labor organizing would think about the sacrifices that prior generations of workers made, the battles they fought for a better future for not only themselves but for people in their profession, and develop a "pay it forward" attitude about it instead of enjoying the past accomplishments for labor fairness while setting up the next generation to have more and more of that taken away from them by their corporate masters with their bought and paid pocket politicians.
That's exactly what the working people of the US need to do.
In my country the economic gap is a lot smaller between rich and poor than it is in the US.
But our unions has always been strong and they must remain so.
In the 30's government soldiers fired upon coal strikers.
I also recall the Bonus Army March to Washington in the 30's to ask for their money in advance due to their efforts in World War I.
They were cleared out eventually by the regular army which cointaned Eisenhower, Montgomery and Patton.
Although Eisenhower was against the eviction as he felt it was wrong to go against veterans.
It's probably more of an issue of what those labor organizations fight for, or the corruption that can (or inevitably does) creep in when their initial/primary missions are complete and they need something else to fight for.
I'm not saying they're bad, just that the way some of the modern ones have turned has likely soured some/many on them.
It would be great, if you didn’t have groups that literally were selling their workers out, giving companies sweetheart deals
IIRC didn't Ford basically try to sue the US Government in WW2 for damages done to the Ford plants in occupied Europe? And the President was like "Fine. We'll nationalise you." and he verrrry quickly backed down.
Yes! Since ever the power play between private and public exists. It is not something that started with "big tech". We live in a second "Gilded Age".
Great video series guys! I used to work at Ford here in Australia and even here they used to revere Henry Ford like some sort of Messiah, we got emails of quotes from him...funny how they tended to gloss over the darker stuff 😂
Another awesome series 😊
Ok. This is the best end credit ad read transition you guys have done so far, with all those poster, studio background that then transit to real Matt and Zoey.
Thank you! We try to keep things interesting even through the ads!
Oh my god the tensions between Henry and Edsel Ford gave me HUGE similar vibes between Frederick the Great and his father 💀
If you ever get a chance visit the Henry Ford museum and greenfield village in Detroit. It's amazing, obviously it tends to lionize Ford if course but it's really an amazing monument to industry and American history.
The scene of Ford’s right-hand with his “pet-lions” was badass and ridiculous at the same time.
Seriously, WTH?!
Truth is indeed stranger than fiction!
I love that ending! It’s always a joy to watch the small animated bits
Henry Ford is the best example for how humans have great potential and what happens when they reach that peak. But at the end of the day they are still human and not without their flaws or vulnerabilities. What I see is a man, that was so stubborn, that he revolutionized americas technology. Though that stubborness lead him to alienate himself in the end and filling him with regret in his later years.
This was a wonderful series. Thank you all so much for giving us all the nuance and backstory. It really humanizes historical figures like Ford and makes history so kuch more relateable.
Sad that Edsel never lived a moment of his life without his abusive father
Henry only turned this way during his 50s to 70s so most likely he had memories of his father before he became abusive
New day of Extras History video
I feel like this series would be an amazing addition to the Henry Ford Museum.
My family used to be all about Ford’s cars and trucks, but tbh the people who made these cars iconic and memorable were as far away from Henry Ford’s ideals and viewpoints…they’re the real heroes of the car culture we have today.
Edsel Ford: does anything
Henry: so you have chosen… death.
It's impressive how much the animation quality improves once the ad portion of the video starts.
Bill Ford, Henry's great grandson, gave a speech recently at the River Rouge plant calling on UAW workers to go back to work without the increase in compensation they're asking for, despite Ford Motors' record setting profits.
You're guys ending lines way give me goosebumps.
Same!
Its how dads are, i worked really hard building a heating company and my dad never once asked me to work on his furnace. It bummed me out for my whole life.
So nice to see you! (It was a first for me.) Thank you for talking -in person- to us.
And thank you for all you guys do.
You did NOT want to be Henry Ford's child.
He went from being the People's champ, to a first class tool
Henry Ford became Darth Sidious by the end if his life. He wanted Edsol to "Join me on the dark side as my nexy apprentice"
9:00 Zoey is sooooo adorable 🐈⬛
I meant 9:40, but still adorable on her little car.
I never thought I'd genuinely tear up at the end of the story of one of the men who helped cause the Holocaust
A fantastic example of how great men who change the world aren't necessarily 'good' men.
A really beautiful example of a brilliant historical figure that, like just about all of them if we dig enough, was neither pure good or evil. Loved some of the stuff I'd never heard in this but wish certain other things that, even if better known, were still mentioned to maintain that theme of a very complex figure.
I disagree. At the end of it all, he was an out and out villain, no more and no less.
@oceanberserker Do the final years of a man's life erase what came before? If so Nobel is ecstatic I am sure, though if any man washed it away with action it's him. But I more meant take a video or two ago. When it talked about him shorting his shareholders which got overruled in court? It didn't discuss how he was doing that was diverting company profits to reward the employees by massively increasing their wages which as mentioned were already high. Instead they ruled for the shareholders which has been foundational in the corporatism that is endemic today that feasts on unions, job security, and what have you for short term shareholder rewards.
I'm just saying I think by brushing over early bads and washing out later goods to keep a cohesive narrative it did lose a bit of complexity. Maybe I'll watch the 'lies' episode for this one.
@@johnarnold8485 What good shall it profit a man that he gains ownership of the entire world at the cost of his soul? Ford's downfall personally, and to a lesser degree professionally, was of his own making. Does that take away the great step forward that he took? No, it does not. But those same accomplishments ipso facto also don't take away what he had become in his later life and near the end of it. It's called a 'fall from Grace' for a reason. And let me remind you that even in his own time, beyond his acumen for business and engineering, Ford was NOT looked upon kindly by his contemporaries in practically everything else, those with even a shred of decency anyway, and for good reason.
@@oceanberserker All really well said and nothing I am arguing against.
@@johnarnold8485 Thank you, and I'm glad we could arrive at a consensus.
"Die a hero or live till you see your self become a Villan"
Henry Ford in a nutshell.
Wow, I had no idea Ford had cast that large of a shadow...
Thank you for making and sharing this series, Extra History people, well done!
Our pleasure!
@@extrahistory, has there been any reaction from the corporation Ford itself?
Highland Park Plant is located on Woodward Ave. in Highland Park. The River Rouge Plant is located in Dearborn where the Ford Headquarters is also located.
I'm sad this episode didn't have time for the story of how henry ford purchased the workshop of the Wright Brothers
As something that was known to be historically important the town was super jazzed about someone buying it and turning it into a museum, that is until they woke up one morning and found it had been disassembled brick by brick and transported from where it was from to greenfield village, the town was absolutely pissed.
Having grown up going to Henry ford Museum and Greenfield village (Same grounds 2 entrance fees, they've got some really interesting buildings like the aforementioned Wright brothers work shop and Edison's home and lab, not reconstructions but the actual bricks and foundation moved there) its fun hearing about this stuff some of it new some of it i already knew thought leaving out some family member which are locally well known.
I highly recommend people see greenfield village. Its really cool
Thank you for the series. I'd never heard of Henry before. Very interesting story.
As time goes on Henry Ford is more and more validated. A true American hero.
I love you guys. I never wait for videos to come out because I don’t care about them but you guys make me want to watch more ❤
Minor correction for 6:01, those are sub-machine guns, not machine guns.
7:42
okay, that actually almost made me cry.
"Us poor folks do not stand a chance unless we organize"
“Which side are you on, which side are you on.”
Another fun fact: Edsel would live on as the name sake of a Ford model and almost as another brand in the Ford Motor Company. Edsel would’ve been a brand sort of between Ford and Mercury. Also, Ford v. Ferrari has some more history on both Henry Ford II and Ford’s racing division.
Love you guys all the respect adoration.
It's quite sad how his dark parts are rarely mentioned, EVER! Thanks guys for educating more people in matters like this
1
Excellent video! I didn’t know all of these things about Henry Ford.
As of writing this, an hour ago I was at Greenfield Village, and I was in the Ford house when I thought about how much we advanced in 200 years