99% Invisible+

A closer look at the messy, beautiful bricks hiding across Chicago 🧱 Listen to

A closer look at the messy, beautiful bricks hiding across Chicago 🧱 Listen to 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4jBvagA

(Not Just) Another Brick in the Wall

A closer look at the messy, beautiful bricks hiding across Chicago. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

@jamieloftus.bsky.social has always known about Alcoholics Anonymous. As a kid,

@jamieloftus.bsky.social has always known about Alcoholics Anonymous. As a kid, she loved the album where her dad kept all his AA chips. Imbued in those little chips is a hidden history of America’s relationship to gender, religion, and morality. Listen now 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #20: AA Sobriety Chip

Comedian, writer, and podcaster Jamie Loftus (https://www.jamieloftus.xyz/) has always known about Alcoholics Anonymous. As a kid, she loved the album where her dad kept all his AA chips — that little piece of plastic that marks a day, a month, a year of sobriety. Now as an adult, Jamie wanted to understand where that little chip came from. What she found is that imbued in that little chip is a hidden history — from Prohibition to women’s suffrage — of America’s relationship to gender, religion, and morality. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a productio

Best Video Podcast 👉 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

Best Video Podcast 👉 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

Limited Series - Science & Education 👉 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

Limited Series - Science & Education 👉 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

Limited Series - History 👉 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

Limited Series - History 👉 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

Limited Series - Arts & Culture 👉 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

Limited Series - Arts & Culture 👉 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

Individual Episode - Documentary 👉 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

Individual Episode - Documentary 👉 vote.signalaward.com/PublicVoting...

We need you! We've got Signal Awards finalists in 5 different categories and now

We need you! We've got Signal Awards finalists in 5 different categories and now it's up to listeners like you to vote for your favorites 🏆 Visit the links below to vote for 99PI, Hidden Levels, Service Request, and 100 Objects in this year's signal awards 👇

How a Swiss mountain call crossed the Atlantic and helped define the sound of co

How a Swiss mountain call crossed the Atlantic and helped define the sound of country music. Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4rDuCIU

Tootle of a Devilish Song

How a Swiss mountain call crossed the Atlantic and helped define the sound of country music. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

The Western Electric 500 Series Telephone used to be everywhere. But why was thi

The Western Electric 500 Series Telephone used to be everywhere. But why was this one phone so much better than everything that came before… or, in some ways, since? Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #19: Western Electric 500 Series

This episode is sponsored by Claude. For problems worth solving, get started with Claude at Claude.ai (https://claude.ai) . The Western Electric 500 Series Telephone used to be everywhere. For over 50 years, it was the default telephone for homes, offices and literally anywhere else you might need a phone… but how did that happen? Why was this one phone so much better than everything that came before… or, in some ways, since? Former MythBuster Adam Savage joins Roman Mars to explore the history of the 500 Series Telephone and what we lost when we eventually decided to leave it behind. A Hi

Turn your next walk into a walking tour. 99% Invisible is featured in Hidden His

Turn your next walk into a walking tour. 99% Invisible is featured in Hidden Histories, a new series of podcast guides from Apple Podcasts and Apple Maps across 5 iconic cities https://apple.co/podcasts-on-maps

How a movie prop became one of Philadelphia’s most beloved monuments, and sparke

How a movie prop became one of Philadelphia’s most beloved monuments, and sparked a decades-long fight over where it belonged. Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4iNOZkB

The Rocky Statue

How a movie prop became one of Philadelphia’s most beloved monuments, and sparked a decades-long fight over where it belonged. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

Somewhere between 85 to 95 percent of Black women in the United States have used

Somewhere between 85 to 95 percent of Black women in the United States have used a chemical hair relaxer at least once in their lifetime. And now research is revealing a physical cost... Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #18: Hair Relaxer

Somewhere between 85 to 95 percent of Black women in the United States have used a chemical hair relaxer at least once in their lifetime. It is a ubiquitous American product with a complicated legacy: it built Black wealth and opened economic doors, but also taught generations to see their hair as a problem to be solved. And now research is revealing a physical cost. Roman Mars and producer Priscilla Alabi explore how a single product became a mirror for all of America's contradictions. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (ht

A legendary typeface, a spectacular friendship breakup, and one extremely commit

A legendary typeface, a spectacular friendship breakup, and one extremely committed act of revenge. Listent o 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4rb1f0u

Doves Type

A legendary typeface, a spectacular friendship breakup, and one extremely committed act of revenge. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

How should the military outfit its soldiers to make them as safe and effective a

How should the military outfit its soldiers to make them as safe and effective as possible? Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #17: M43 Field Jacket

Articles of Interest (https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/) host Avery Trufelman joins Roman to tell the incredible story of the American military’s jacket problem: How should the military outfit its soldiers to make them as safe and effective as possible? The answer was the M43 Field Jacket, which not only changed what it meant to be a soldier and look like a soldier, it changed what we all wear every day—in America, and around the world. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (https://99percentinvisible.org) and BBC Stu

Every product has to be tested somehow, and sometimes that means finding increas

Every product has to be tested somehow, and sometimes that means finding increasingly creative ways to break it. Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/46LmxZ4

Kobuk the Destroyer

Every product has to be tested somehow, and sometimes that means finding increasingly creative ways to break it. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

100 Objects #16: Wheel of Fortune Dalmatian

This episode is sponsored by Claude. For problems worth solving, get started with Claude at Claude.ai (https://claude.ai) . If you watched Wheel of Fortune in the 1980s, you probably remember one prize more than all the others: the ceramic Dalmatian. For a brief moment, that prize—perhaps the ultimate useless object—became the mascot for one of America's most popular game shows, appearing on tens of millions of TV screens, night after night, all across the country. But…why?  Game show historian Adam Nedeff and ceramic Dalmatian owner Terry Eldrige join Roman Mars to tell the story of why

This week, two stories about the strange power of the 1-800 number ☎️ Listen to

This week, two stories about the strange power of the 1-800 number ☎️ Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4yduYbp

1-800-PODCAST

This week, two stories about the strange power of the 1-800 number. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

In 1888, Willard Bundy created the first employee "time clock" — a souped-up gra

In 1888, Willard Bundy created the first employee "time clock" — a souped-up grandfather clock that could, for the first time, produce a record of when workers arrived and left. Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #15: Bundy Clock

In 1888, Willard Bundy created the first employee "time clock" — essentially a souped-up grandfather clock that could, for the first time, produce an accurate record of when workers arrived and left. Though Bundy’s aim was simple, his invention soon sparked a change in American life far broader than he intended. Roman Mars and reporter Ellie Lightfoot trace how the time clock not only ignited a revolution in workplace efficiency and surveillance, but transformed our relationship to time itself. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invi

Spolia, from a Liverpool neighborhood to ancient Rome. Listen to a new episode

Spolia, from a Liverpool neighborhood to ancient Rome. Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4gsaEf7

Spolia

Spolia, from a Liverpool neighborhood to ancient Rome. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

Why are so many NBA players wearing a compression sleeve on their arm? Listen t

Why are so many NBA players wearing a compression sleeve on their arm? Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #14: Basketball Sleeve

Producer and reporter Ramtin Arablouei (co-creator of the NPR show, Throughline) has a simple question: why are so many NBA players wearing a compression sleeve on their arm? It seems like everyone has one. Do they all have elbow issues? The answer is really the story of Allen Iverson, an underdog player who went from a prison cell to international fame in just a few years. And through the story of him and his sleeve, you can see the whole history of basketball’s relationship with race, with respectability politics, and who gets to look like what on the court. A History of the United States

Friend of the show Gillian Jacobs joins us for the tale of two rival paleontolog

Friend of the show Gillian Jacobs joins us for the tale of two rival paleontologists who turn a hunt for dinosaur bones into an all-out scientific war. Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4cPNePN

The Bone Wars

Two rival paleontologists turn a hunt for dinosaur bones into an all-out scientific war. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

The story of how a politician who owed so much to a corrupt government system be

The story of how a politician who owed so much to a corrupt government system became the one to dismantle it, thanks to one woman: Julia Isabella Sand. Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 👉 https://link.podtrac.com/100_objects

100 Objects #13: The Sand Letters

This episode is sponsored by Claude. For problems worth solving, get started with Claude at Claude.ai (https://claude.ai) . On his deathbed, President Chester Arthur ordered that all of his personal and professional papers be burned. Three barrels of documents went up in flames. But 23 letters survived, initialed only "J.I.S." Comedian Elliott Kalan joins Roman Mars to tell the story of how a politician who owed so much to a corrupt government system became the one to dismantle it, thanks to one woman: Julia Isabella Sand. It’s the story of how a woman no one had ever heard of helped transf

Dinosaurs. Gillian Jacobs. What more could you want? Get early access to next w

Dinosaurs. Gillian Jacobs. What more could you want? Get early access to next week's episode when you subscribe to 99% Invisible on SiriusXM Podcasts+ 🎧

A devastating fire put one of Hong Kong's oldest building traditions on trial, b

A devastating fire put one of Hong Kong's oldest building traditions on trial, but the real story runs much deeper. Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4zdiwtC

Bamboo Is Innocent

A devastating fire put one of Hong Kong's oldest building traditions on trial, but the real story runs much deeper. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

In 1821, two Rhode Island brothers went looking for buyers for their woolen fabr

In 1821, two Rhode Island brothers went looking for buyers for their woolen fabric, and stumbled into a lucrative, captive market: Southern slave plantations. Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #12: "Negro Cloth"

In 1821, two Rhode Island brothers went looking for buyers for their woolen fabric, and stumbled into a lucrative, captive market: Southern slave plantations. Roman Mars and historian Seth Rockman trace the strange life of so-called "Negro cloth" — a textile category defined by nothing but who it was worn by. Along the way, they uncover how enslaved people shaped the very cloth used to control them, and how New England manufacturers convinced themselves they were the good guys. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (https://99

Behind every perfect nature-inspired design is a far more complicated story. Li

Behind every perfect nature-inspired design is a far more complicated story. Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4wKHcIq

The Borrowed Nature of Biomimicry

Behind every perfect nature-inspired design is a far more complicated story. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

The Brannock Device transformed the way we measure feet forever, and more than a

The Brannock Device transformed the way we measure feet forever, and more than a century after its invention… it has barely changed. Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #11: Brannock Device

In 1925, the world saw the birth of what just might be the greatest gadget in American History: the Brannock Device. The metal contraption transformed the way we measure feet forever, and more than a century after its invention…it has barely changed. Roman Mars and journalist Paul Lukas trace the life of the Brannock Device, from its role outfitting WWII sailors to its surprising endurance into the modern era, even as the entire world changed around it. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (https://99percentinvisible.org) an

A simple cardboard box helped transform Finland into one of the best places in t

A simple cardboard box helped transform Finland into one of the best places in the world to raise a child. Listen to 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4vTqPrE

The Finnish Baby Box

A simple cardboard box helped transform Finland into one of the best places in the world to raise a child. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

In the early 1970s, Bruce Lee made nunchaku (nunchucks) cool — But the nunchuck

In the early 1970s, Bruce Lee made nunchaku (nunchucks) cool — But the nunchucks craze coincided with something much bigger: the birth of a radical new Asian American identity. Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #10: Nunchaku

In the early 1970s, Bruce Lee made nunchaku (nunchucks) cool — kids were building their own and buying them in record numbers. But the nunchucks craze coincided with something much bigger: the birth of a radical new Asian American identity. Roman Mars and historian Jeff Chang trace how nunchucks went from ancient weapon to symbol of resistance — not only uniting Asian Americans in the fight for their own rights, but connecting them to every other group pushing back from the margins. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (https

Neil MacGregor reflects on creating the landmark series that changed how people

Neil MacGregor reflects on creating the landmark series that changed how people think about history. Then, revisit the Rosetta Stone, the artifact that unlocked ancient Egypt. Listen to 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://99percentinvisible.org

The Original 100 Objects

Neil MacGregor reflects on creating the landmark series that changed how people think about history. Then, revisit the Rosetta Stone, the artifact that unlocked ancient Egypt. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

In 1982, a twelve-year-old paperboy, Johnny Gosch, vanished from a quiet Iowa st

In 1982, a twelve-year-old paperboy, Johnny Gosch, vanished from a quiet Iowa street and sparked an unlikely campaign... Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed, wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://link.podtrac.com/100_objects

100 Objects #9: Missing Children Milk Carton

In 1982, a twelve-year-old paperboy, Johnny Gosch, vanished from a quiet Iowa street and sparked an unlikely campaign: the faces of missing children printed on milk cartons by the billions. Roman Mars and Annie Brown trace how a regional dairy campaign exploded into a national symbol — and how the “stranger danger” fears it stoked shaped American misconceptions about child safety that still echo today. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (https://99percentinvisible.org) and BBC Studios (https://www.bbcstudios.com/) .

A Louisiana man born into slavery designs an airship with hopes to take flight.

A Louisiana man born into slavery designs an airship with hopes to take flight. Those plans are interrupted, but maybe not forever. Listen to 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉

If Mosquito Hawks Can Fly

A Louisiana man born into slavery designs an airship with hopes to take flight. Those plans are interrupted, but maybe not forever. Listen to Family Lore (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/family-lore/id1507276251) wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) .

In 1902, an American classic was born: the teddy bear. Named after President The

In 1902, an American classic was born: the teddy bear. Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, it sparked an idea…maybe every president should have their own stuffed animal. Listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #8: Billy Possum

In 1902, an American classic was born: the teddy bear. Named after President Theodore Roosevelt, the toy became a huge hit, and sparked an idea…maybe every president from then on should have their own viral stuffed animal. Jon Mooallem tells the story of the ill-fated billy possum, and how our fickle feelings about animals have shaped the history—and perhaps the future—of our relationship with the natural world. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (https://99percentinvisible.org) and BBC Studios (https://www.bbcstudios.com/

We keep score of everything these days. But what happens when the numbers start

We keep score of everything these days. But what happens when the numbers start changing what we actually care about? Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4gndow5

The Score

We keep score of everything these days. But what happens when the numbers start changing what we actually care about? Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) . 

Before the Declaration of Independence was even a twinkle in the founding father

Before the Declaration of Independence was even a twinkle in the founding fathers' eyes, there was James Otis. Listen to a new episode of A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 🎧

100 Objects #7: The Otis Pamphlet

Before the Declaration of Independence was even a twinkle in the founding fathers' eyes, there was James Otis. Journalist Jack Hitt returns to tell the wild, tragic story of America’s forgotten proto-founding father and his inflammatory 1764 pamphlet. A story that is, in many ways, the story of the founding document of the United States of America. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (https://99percentinvisible.org) and BBC Studios (https://www.bbcstudios.com/) . Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episod

Before the internet went global, one undersea gamble made it possible. Listen t

Before the internet went global, one undersea gamble made it possible. Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4fdt0kw

Transatlantic Fiber-Optic Expialidocious

Before the internet went global, one undersea gamble made it possible.  Jane Ruffino’s story, "Say Goodbye to the Undersea Cable That Made the Global Internet Possible (https://www.wired.com/story/say-goodbye-to-the-undersea-cable-that-made-the-global-internet-possible/) ," appears in the May-June issue of Wired magazine. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) . 

How was a household tool reimagined as a deadly weapon…that never actually exist

How was a household tool reimagined as a deadly weapon…that never actually existed? Listen to a new episode of A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed, wherever you get your podcasts👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #6: "Sharpened Screwdriver"

In this episode, Roman and historians Heather Ann Thompson and Elliot Williams tell the story of the sharpened screwdriver: the object at the heart of the 1984 Bernhard Goetz subway shooting. In a difficult moment in New York City, four Black teenagers were transformed in the public imagination into armed criminals. What follows is a gripping account of how misinformation takes hold, how fear shapes public opinion, and how one narrative can ripple outward – echoing through decades of similar cases that continue to unfold today. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org

Billions of state quarters disappeared from circulation...and that was exactly t

Billions of state quarters disappeared from circulation...and that was exactly the plan. Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4gC8JGy

The Most Exciting Change America Has Ever Seen

Billions of state quarters disappeared from circulation...and that was exactly the plan. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) . 

100 Objects #5: Blue Back Speller

In this episode, Roman and historian Imani Perry follow the Webster Blue Back Speller from the early days of the United States, to the heart of Black intellectual life. Through the lives of Booker T. Washington and W. E. B. Du Bois, Roman and Imani uncover how a single object became a gateway to literacy, self-determination, and an enduring debate about what education, citizenship, and freedom should mean in America. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (https://99percentinvisible.org) and BBC Studios (https://www.bbcstudios

Why did an ordinary schoolbook become so treasured that enslaved people risked t

Why did an ordinary schoolbook become so treasured that enslaved people risked their lives to possess it? Listen to a new episode of A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed, wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

The Horn That Divided the World Cup

Love it or hate it, one buzzing horn changed the sound of the World Cup forever. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) . 

Love it or hate it, one buzzing horn changed the sound of the World Cup forever.

Love it or hate it, one buzzing horn changed the sound of the World Cup forever. Listen to 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/3S30Xvn

This is the story of Thaddeus Lowe — showman, scientist, and dreamer — whose bal

This is the story of Thaddeus Lowe — showman, scientist, and dreamer — whose balloon flight from Cincinnati went wildly off course and straight into the Civil War. Listen to a new episode of A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #4: Lowe's Gas Bag

In 1861, one man and a “gas bag” filled with hydrogen sparked America's obsession with going higher, farther, into the unknown. In this episode, Roman and journalist Jack Hitt tell the story of Thaddeus Lowe — showman, scientist, and dreamer — whose balloon flight from Cincinnati went wildly off course and straight into the Civil War. Lowe pivoted to create the US military's first aerial reconnaissance unit, a precursor to the Air Force, and today his legacy spans generations— stretching all the way to the dark side of the moon. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.or

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Minneapolis meetup this last weekend! Y

Thanks to everyone who joined us for the Minneapolis meetup this last weekend! You nerds are even more beautiful in person 💛

Behind every cheesy karaoke track was a surprisingly ambitious filmmaking experi

Behind every cheesy karaoke track was a surprisingly ambitious filmmaking experiment. Listen to a new episode of 99% Invisible wherever you get your podcasts 👉 https://bit.ly/4osEeEX

Karaoke Videos

Behind every cheesy karaoke track was a surprisingly ambitious filmmaking experiment. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.  Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus (http://siriusxm.com/podcastsplus.) . 

A stack of dusty paperwork, teeming with unheard voices. What do Civil War pensi

A stack of dusty paperwork, teeming with unheard voices. What do Civil War pension files reveal about one of the most successful slave rebellions in American history? Listen to a new episode of A History of the United States in 100 Objects on the 99% Invisible feed 👉 https://bit.ly/4fNZhPW

100 Objects #3: The Pension Files

What do Civil War pension files reveal about one of history's most successful slave rebellions? Historian Edda Fields-Black joins Roman to trace a story of fire, flight, and freedom — beginning on a South Carolina rice plantation in 1863, where a Union raid liberated over 700 people in a single night. By unearthing Black soldiers' testimonies buried in military pension applications, they resurrect not just the raid, but the lives and communities it transformed. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.  Start a free trial

100 Objects #2: 60-Degree Screw

In the early 20th century, nothing quite fit — fire hoses couldn't connect to one another, football teams played with different balls, traffic lights meant different things in different states. Then World War II exposed the deadly cost of incompatibility, and the US quietly imposed a single solution on production lines across the world: the 60-degree screw. Roman Mars and historian Daniel Immerwahr tell the story of a hidden industrial empire, built one standard at a time. A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (https://99perce

Roman Mars Introduces 'A History of the United States in 100 Objects'

America’s 250th birthday calls for a history as sprawling and contradictory as the country itself.  A History of the United States in 100 Objects — hosted by Roman Mars and produced by BBC Studios and 99% Invisible — tells that history one thing at a time. A gold coin from an 1857 shipwreck that triggered a financial panic. An antebellum schoolbook that became an instrument of Black liberation. A ceramic dalmatian from the set of Wheel of Fortune. Or a tiny screw that shows how the US created a hidden industrial empire. Each week, an object opens the door into an extraordinary, often shockin

100 Objects #1: The Century Safe

In 1876, Americans filled an iron safe with objects meant to tell their story — to be opened a century later. Roman Mars and historian Jill Lepore trace its long wait, from Reconstruction to Watergate, and the surprising, unsettling contents that emerged in 1976. What do the objects we choose to preserve — or forget — reveal about how we author our own history? A History of the United States in 100 Objects (https://99pi.org/100) is a production of 99% Invisible (https://99percentinvisible.org) and BBC Studios (https://www.bbcstudios.com/) . Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen

Ask Your Doctor About

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A History of the United States in 100 Objects Trailer

America’s 250th birthday calls for a history as sprawling and contradictory as the country itself.  A History of the United States in 100 Objects — hosted by Roman Mars and produced by BBC Studios and 99% Invisible — tells that history one thing at a time. A gold coin from an 1857 shipwreck that triggered a financial panic. An antebellum schoolbook that became an instrument of Black liberation. A ceramic dalmatian from the set of Wheel of Fortune. Or a tiny screw that shows how the US created a hidden industrial empire. Each week, an object opens the door into an extraordinary, often sho