The Ice King | Indian Summer
1/7/202636 min
After two turbulent decades in the ice trade, Frederic Tudor had finally made it. Expanding into the American South had paid off, with cities like New Orleans delivering steady profit. But Tudor’s insatiable appetite for risk kept pushing him to bet everything – again and again – even as losses mounted and disaster loomed.
As he entered his 50s, Tudor seemed ready to slow down. But when he was offered the opportunity to ship his ice halfway around the world to India, he couldn’t resist expanding his business once more. And just when it seemed he had mastered...
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First 90 secondsLindsay Graham· Host0:00
Picture this: you're transported back in time, witnessing history unfold right before your eyes without any modern-day interruptions. That's the magic of Wondery Plus. Immerse yourself in the stories that shaped our nation with ad-free episodes, early access to new seasons, and exclusive bonus content. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or on Apple Podcasts and experience American history like never before. (music) Wondery. (drum music) Imagine it's January 1835 in Boston, Massachusetts. You hurry along a downtown street, sweat trickling down your back despite the cold winter air. You skid around a final corner and finally reach your cousin Frederick Tudor's townhouse. You pound on the door with your fist and take a step back. After a moment, 51-year-old Frederick opens the door. His eyes widen when he sees your face. "William! You look like you've seen a ghost. Come in. It's terribly cold." Without a word, you brush past him into the parlor where a newspaper lies folded on the table beside a steaming cup of coffee. Frederick follows you in, a note of concern in his voice. "Please sit down, William. What- would you like something to drink?" Frederick takes a seat across from you and adds a spoonful of sugar to his coffee and stirs it slowly. You watch the swirling brown liquid, your stomach churning. "Well, no, thank you."