Design is everywhere in our lives, perhaps most importantly in the places where we've just stopped noticing. 99% Invisible is a weekly exploration of the process and power of design and architecture. From award winning producer Roman Mars. Learn more at 99percentinvisible.org.
798 episodes transcribedBillions of state quarters disappeared from circulation...and that was exactly the plan. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of...
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...
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% Invi...
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...
Behind every cheesy karaoke track was a surprisingly ambitious filmmaking experiment. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99%...
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 sto...
Canada reshaped its music industry with a quirky radio rule that changed who got heard. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 9...
In the early 20th century, nothing quite fit — fire hoses couldn't connect to one another, football teams played with different balls, traffic lights...
What started as a revolutionary treatment for river blindness became something far messier. Listen to Drug Story wherever you get your podcasts! Subsc...
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 tra...
As wild and random as they might seem, a lot of work—and even poetry—goes into coming up with today's catchiest, most unforgettable drug names. Subscr...
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 — ho...
Why is it suddenly so hard to fix the stuff we depend on most? Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and...
One man rejected nationality and dared the world to recognize him anyway. Listen to Far From Home wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to SiriusX...
This is the ninth episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth discuss Article VI and VII, which...
The world’s largest housing co-op—built to save New York City’s middle class—became the unlikely site of a resident revolt Subscribe to SiriusXM Podca...
One study from 2018 found that Major League Baseball umpires blow about 14 calls every game. That’s 34,000 bad calls every year. And it makes a differ...
A missing car reveals the confusing rules, murky fees, and private actors behind modern towing. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Sub...
In a place where losing power can turn deadly, keeping the lights on is a high-stakes balancing act. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night...
Why did it take nearly a decade to redesign a city trash can, and why haven't more bins made the streets cleaner? What infrastructure mystery keeps yo...
