99% Invisible

Latest Episodes:

Constitution Breakdown #8: Jill Lepore Mar 27, 2026

Show notes

This is the eighth episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution.

This month, Roman and Elizabeth discuss Article V, which lays out the process to amend the Constitution.

Then, Jill Lepore lays out her thesis that the Constitution is truly meant to be amended, explains why Article V amendments have become functionally impossible, and tells some fascinating stories about the people who have championed amendments.

The 99% Invisible Breakdown of the Constitution

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Service Request #2: Why Is This Red Light So Damn Long? Mar 24, 2026

Show notes

What the world's most advanced traffic system can—and can't—do for the city that invented gridlock.

What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voice memo with your question and emailing it to servicerequest@99pi.org.

Service Request is a production of 99% Invisible and Campside Media.

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Service Request #1: What Happens When I Call 311? Mar 17, 2026

Show notes

The surprising power of a simple phone number to connect a community.

What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voice memo with your question and emailing it to servicerequest@99pi.org.

Service Request is a production of 99% Invisible and Campside Media.

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A Man, a Plan, a Canal—Mars! Mar 10, 2026

Show notes

How one wealthy, amateur astronomer convinced the world Martians were real.

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Where the F*** Are We? Mar 03, 2026

Show notes

For centuries, the world's greatest minds were stumped by the deadly mystery of longitude, until an obsessive underdog entered the fray and changed navigation forever.

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Constitution Breakdown #7: California AG Rob Bonta Feb 27, 2026

Show notes

This is the seventh episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution.

This month, Roman and Elizabeth discuss Article IV, which outlines the relationship between states and between states and the federal government. They add the 10th Amendment to the conversation, because that also talks about the states.

Then, California Attorney General Rob Bonta joins to talk about how his office is using Article IV and the 10th Amendment to protect the state from federal overreach.

The 99% Invisible Breakdown of the Constitution

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The Longest Fence in the World Feb 24, 2026

Show notes

How a fence meant to protect sheep transformed the entire Australian landscape.

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Molar City Feb 17, 2026

Show notes

How a small Mexican border town transformed itself into the dental tourism capital of the world, where dental care costs up to 80% less than what it might cost in the United States.

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Artistic License Redux Feb 10, 2026

Show notes

Idaho was the first state to slap a slogan on a license plate, “Idaho Potatoes,” which may not seem like a big deal, but it turns out this idea would end up having outsized consequences, and not just for Idaho. Because what started in one state would soon spread. And when it did, the question of what should go on a license plate, and what shouldn't, would prove surprisingly contentious.

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The Em Dash Feb 03, 2026

Show notes

The strange history of a punctuation mark that makes writing feel human, and why people now think it proves the opposite.

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