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Monsanto: The Sweetener and the Salesman (Part 1)

Monsanto: The Sweetener and the Salesman (Part 1)

Episode 139 Published 2 months, 3 weeks ago
Description

Who was John Francis Queeny, the broke Irish-American salesman who founded one of the most powerful and controversial companies in the history of modern agriculture - without knowing the first thing about chemistry? Why did a secret deal with Coca-Cola, a presidential letter, and a warehouse full of matches save his fledgling empire from collapse? And how does the unlikely story of a fake sweetener made from coal tar in St. Louis open a window onto the birth of the American chemical industry; from patent medicines and caffeine trials to the fossil chemistry that would one day reshape what the entire world eats?

Join John and Patrick as they begin their six-part series on Monsanto - the company that started with saccharin and ended up controlling the farm - in an age when there were no labels, no regulations, and absolutely no shortage of things that could kill you...

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In Sponsorship with Cornell University: Dyson Cornell SC Johnson College of Business

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