99% Invisible

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The Most Exciting Change America Has Ever Seen Jun 23, 2026

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

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100 Objects #5: Blue Back Speller Jun 19, 2026

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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 is a production of 99% Invisible and BBC Studios.

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The Horn That Divided the World Cup Jun 16, 2026

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

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100 Objects #4: Lowe's Gas Bag Jun 12, 2026

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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 is a production of 99% Invisible and BBC Studios.

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Karaoke Videos Jun 09, 2026

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Behind every cheesy karaoke track was a surprisingly ambitious filmmaking experiment.

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100 Objects #3: The Pension Files Jun 05, 2026

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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.

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The MAPL Test Jun 02, 2026

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Canada reshaped its music industry with a quirky radio rule that changed who got heard.

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100 Objects #2: 60-Degree Screw May 29, 2026

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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 is a production of 99% Invisible and BBC Studios.

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Drug Story: Ivermectin May 26, 2026

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What started as a revolutionary treatment for river blindness became something far messier.

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100 Objects #1: The Century Safe May 19, 2026

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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 is a production of 99% Invisible and BBC Studios.

Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.
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Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

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