99% Invisible

Roman Mars

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.

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813 episodes
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Episodes813

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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.
Yesterday · 27 min
The Finnish Baby Box
A simple cardboard box helped transform Finland into one of the best places in the world to raise a child.
Tuesday · 33 min
100 Objects #10: Nunchaku
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.
July 24 · 36 min
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.
July 21 · 44 min
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.
July 17 · 33 min
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.
July 14 · 41 min
100 Objects #8: Billy Possum
The teddy bear was a huge hit, and sparked an idea…maybe every president from then on should have their own viral stuffed animal.
July 10 · 36 min
The Score
We keep score of everything these days. But what happens when the numbers start changing what we actually care about?
July 7 · 26 min
100 Objects #7: The Otis Pamphlet
Journalist Jack Hitt returns to tell the wild, tragic story of America’s forgotten proto-founding father and his inflammatory 1764 pamphlet.
July 3 · 37 min
Transatlantic Fiber-Optic Expialidocious
Before the internet went global, one undersea gamble made it possible.
June 30 · 31 min
100 Objects #6: "Sharpened Screwdriver"
How was a household tool reimagined as a deadly weapon…that never actually existed?
June 26 · 40 min
The Most Exciting Change America Has Ever Seen
Billions of state quarters disappeared from circulation...and that was exactly the plan.
June 23 · 43 min
100 Objects #5: Blue Back Speller
Why did an ordinary schoolbook become so treasured that enslaved people risked their lives to possess it?
June 19 · 45 min
The Horn That Divided the World Cup
Love it or hate it, one buzzing horn changed the sound of the World Cup forever.
June 16 · 33 min
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.
June 12 · 38 min
Karaoke Videos
Behind every cheesy karaoke track was a surprisingly ambitious filmmaking experiment.
June 9 · 35 min
100 Objects #3: The Pension Files
Unearthing a remarkable slave rebellion through dusty Civil War paperwork.
June 5 · 43 min
The MAPL Test
Canada reshaped its music industry with a quirky radio rule that changed who got heard.
June 2 · 40 min
100 Objects #2: 60-Degree Screw
A tiny screw. A precise angle. How America built a hidden empire, one standard at a time.
May 29 · 35 min
Drug Story: Ivermectin
What started as a revolutionary treatment for river blindness became something far messier.
May 26 · 48 min

99% Invisible

100 Objects #11: Brannock Device

The Finnish Baby Box

100 Objects #10: Nunchaku

The Original 100 Objects

100 Objects #9: Missing Children Milk Carton

If Mosquito Hawks Can Fly

100 Objects #8: Billy Possum

The Score

100 Objects #7: The Otis Pamphlet

Transatlantic Fiber-Optic Expialidocious

100 Objects #6: "Sharpened Screwdriver"

The Most Exciting Change America Has Ever Seen

100 Objects #5: Blue Back Speller

The Horn That Divided the World Cup

100 Objects #4: Lowe's Gas Bag

Karaoke Videos

100 Objects #3: The Pension Files

The MAPL Test

100 Objects #2: 60-Degree Screw

Drug Story: Ivermectin