Podcast
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.
— All episodes
EPISODES
- 01
Jul 24, 2026 · 36m
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 coinci...
- 02
Jul 21, 2026 · 44m E675
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 unloc...
- 03
Jul 17, 2026 · 33m
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...
- 04
Jul 14, 2026 · 41m E674
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 whe...
- 05
Jul 10, 2026 · 36m
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 p...
- 06
Jul 7, 2026 · 26m E673
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 list...
- 07
Jul 3, 2026 · 37m
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,...
- 08
Jun 30, 2026 · 31m E672
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...
- 09
Jun 26, 2026 · 40m
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 19...
- 10
Jun 23, 2026 · 43m E671
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% Inv...
- 11
Jun 19, 2026 · 45m
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 intelle...
- 12
Jun 16, 2026 · 33m E511
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 a...
- 13
Jun 12, 2026 · 38m
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 jo...
- 14
Jun 9, 2026 · 35m E670
Karaoke Videos
Behind every cheesy karaoke track was a surprisingly ambitious filmmaking experiment. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisi...
- 15
Jun 5, 2026 · 43m
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 f...
- 16
Jun 2, 2026 · 40m E669
The MAPL Test
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 99% Invi...
- 17
May 29, 2026 · 35m
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 d...
- 18
May 26, 2026 · 48m E668
Drug Story: Ivermectin
What started as a revolutionary treatment for river blindness became something far messier. Listen to Drug Story wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to...
- 19
May 19, 2026 · 30m
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...
- 20
May 12, 2026 · 32m E667
Ask Your Doctor About
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. Subscribe to...
- 21
May 8, 2026 · 3m
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...
- 22
May 5, 2026 · 35m E666
Enshittification
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 a whole...
- 23
Apr 28, 2026 · 40m E665
Citizen of the World
One man rejected nationality and dared the world to recognize him anyway. Listen to Far From Home wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podca...
- 24
Apr 24, 2026 · 1h 5m
Constitution Breakdown #9: Alondra Nelson
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 includ...
- 25
Apr 21, 2026 · 37m E664
Co-op City
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 Podcasts+ to...
- 26
Apr 14, 2026 · 31m E663
RoboUmp Hits the Big Leagues
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 difference. A...
- 27
Apr 7, 2026 · 32m
Service Request #5: Dude, Where's My Car?
A missing car reveals the confusing rules, murky fees, and private actors behind modern towing. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit you...
- 28
Apr 3, 2026 · 33m
Service Request #4: How Does the Grid in Phoenix Work?
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? Submi...
- 29
Mar 31, 2026 · 28m
Service Request #3: Why Is There So Much Litter in San Francisco?
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 you up at...
- 30
Mar 27, 2026 · 1h 6m
Constitution Breakdown #8: Jill Lepore
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 p...
- 31
Mar 24, 2026 · 28m
Service Request #2: Why Is This Red Light So Damn Long?
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...
- 32
Mar 17, 2026 · 34m
Service Request #1: What Happens When I Call 311?
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 recor...
- 33
Mar 10, 2026 · 32m E662
A Man, a Plan, a Canal—Mars!
How one wealthy, amateur astronomer convinced the world Martians were real. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-fre...
- 34
Mar 3, 2026 · 47m E661
Where the F*** Are We?
For centuries, the world's greatest minds were stumped by the deadly mystery of longitude, until an obsessive underdog entered the fray and changed navigatio...
- 35
Feb 27, 2026 · 1h 17m
Constitution Breakdown #7: California AG Rob Bonta
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...
- 36
Feb 24, 2026 · 31m E660
The Longest Fence in the World
How a fence meant to protect sheep transformed the entire Australian landscape. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad...
- 37
Feb 17, 2026 · 41m E659
Molar City
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 co...
- 38
Feb 10, 2026 · 33m E434
Artistic License Redux
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...
- 39
Feb 3, 2026 · 39m E658
The Em Dash
The strange history of a punctuation mark that makes writing feel human, and why people now think it proves the opposite. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to...
- 40
Jan 30, 2026 · 1h
Constitution Breakdown #6: Adam Liptak
This is the sixth episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth discuss Article III, which establishes t...
- 41
Jan 27, 2026 · 26m E657
What’s in a Name
Throughout Africa and beyond, Zimbabweans are known for choosing some of the most bold, head-turning English-language names. Zimbabwean producer Kim Chakanet...
- 42
Jan 20, 2026 · 37m E656
Audio Flux
This week we're featuring Audio Flux, a short-form audio challenge where artists squeeze surprising stories into three minutes. Find out more about Audio Flu...
- 43
Jan 13, 2026 · 36m E655
Exit Interview With Michael Bierut
A young designer faces an impossible brief and discovers the spark that will define his legendary career. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new ep...
- 44
Jan 6, 2026 · 33m E654
Mini-Stories: Volume 22
Performance changing gear, a Titanic era nurse with unbelievable resilience, and an ingenious art vending project reveal how innovation and endurance shape u...
- 45
Dec 30, 2025 · 39m E653
Beyond the 99% Invisible City
From rogue stop signs to rooftop mini golf, discover how chaos and creativity quietly shape the urban world. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new...
- 46
Dec 26, 2025 · 1h 19m
Constitution Breakdown #5: Dr. Tom Frieden
This is the fifth episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth turn to the rest of Article Two with for...
- 47
Dec 23, 2025 · 29m E652
Mini-Stories: Volume 21
A glowing Vegas pyramid, a famously mistyped domain, and a long-delayed miracle investigation unfold in three unexpected tales. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcast...
- 48
Dec 16, 2025 · 43m E651
Sax Appeal
From military parades to smoky clubs, one invention’s wild journey reveals how an instrument can become a symbol of rebellion and reinvention. Subscribe to S...
- 49
Dec 9, 2025 · 38m E650
The Checkerboard
A single diagonal step on a map sparks a legal war with huge consequences. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free...
- 50
Dec 2, 2025 · 38m E649
U Is for Urbanism
How Jane Jacob's urbanism dreams came to life on the most beloved kids' TV block. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible...
- 51
Nov 28, 2025 · 1h 22m
Constitution Breakdown #4: Janet Napolitano
This is the fourth episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth turn to Article Two, which establishes...
- 52
Nov 25, 2025 · 27m E648
Murderland
Writer Caroline Fraser argues a chilling link between industrial poison, deadly design, and a generation of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest. Subscrib...
- 53
Nov 18, 2025 · 39m E647
The Moving Walkway Is Ending
People once dreamed of sidewalks that could whisk them across cities. Somehow, that dream ended up at the airport. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen...
- 54
Nov 11, 2025 · 31m E646
How to Write a Joke
Comedy writer Elliott Kalan (The Daily Show, The Flop House, Mystery Science Theater 3000, and co-host of the 99% Invisible Breakdown of The Power Broker) sp...
- 55
Nov 4, 2025 · 59m E645
Gear (Articles of Interest)
From buckskin breeches to Patagonia vests, uncover how America’s obsession with ruggedness and war shaped the clothes we wear every day. Avery Trufelman is b...
- 56
Oct 31, 2025 · 1h 9m
Constitution Breakdown #3: Sen. Elizabeth Warren
This is the third episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth dive into Article One, Sections 8 throug...
- 57
Oct 28, 2025 · 29m E644
Your Call Is Important to Us
What if all those dropped calls, endless wait times and dead end hotlines every time you try to reach customer service weren’t accidents but part of the plan...
- 58
Oct 24, 2025 · 40m
Hidden Levels #6: Segagaga
One SEGA employee chronicles the company’s struggles the only way he knows how: by turning it into a game. Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invisible and...
- 59
Oct 21, 2025 · 41m
Hidden Levels #5: Press B to Touch Grass
From blocky biomes to breathtaking open worlds, video games are teaching us new ways to see, build, and even save nature. Hidden Levels is a production of 99...
- 60
Oct 17, 2025 · 45m
Hidden Levels #4: Machinima
Back in the 90s, artists turned video games into movie sets, and their wildest ideas are finally hitting documentaries. Hidden Levels is a production of 99%...
- 61
Oct 14, 2025 · 44m
Hidden Levels #3: This Game Wants YOU
Before Fortnite and Call of Duty ruled the scene, the US Army quietly shaped the early 2000s with a wildly popular, free shooter designed to excite young peo...
- 62
Oct 10, 2025 · 41m
Hidden Levels #2: Stick It to 'Em
From airplanes to Pac-Man to the battlefield, the joystick has quietly shaped the way humans connect with machines. Hidden Levels is a production of 99% Invi...
- 63
Oct 7, 2025 · 37m
Hidden Levels #1: Mr. Boomshakalaka
Step back into the ’90s, when dunks broke backboards, catchphrases caught fire, and one arcade game turned every kid into an NBA superstar. Hidden Levels is...
- 64
Oct 3, 2025 · 43m
Get Played with Roman Mars and Ben Brock Johnson
In anticipation of the release of Hidden Levels, Roman and Ben join Heather Anne Campbell (Rick and Morty) and Matt Apodaca of Get Played to talk controllers...
- 65
Sep 30, 2025 · 54m
The Power Broker #13: Drop Dead City
Like a shadow epilogue to The Power Broker, this story plunges into the chaos of 1970s New York where debt, unions, and one brutal headline nearly broke the...
- 66
Sep 27, 2025 · 1h 17m
Constitution Breakdown #2: Rep. Sharice Davids
This is the second episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth dive into Article One with Representati...
- 67
Sep 23, 2025 · 35m E643
The New Jungle
In a Colorado meatpacking town, refugees fleeing persecution find themselves in some of the most dangerous jobs in America. This episode was produced in part...
- 68
Sep 16, 2025 · 34m E642
Replaceable You
Mary Roach dives into the strange, funny, and unsettling world of designing new body parts, from pig hearts to prosthetic feet, revealing just how messy repl...
- 69
Sep 9, 2025 · 41m E416
Revisiting The 99% Invisible City
We’re excited to celebrate the 5th anniversary of The 99% Invisible City, a NYT Bestseller by Roman Mars and Kurt Kohlstedt, with a guided audio tour of beau...
- 70
Sep 2, 2025 · 50m E641
The 99PI Anniversary Special: 15 for 15
For 99PI’s 15th anniversary, Roman sits in the hot seat to answer 15 eclectic questions, touching on everything from his dream merch to the one object he's a...
- 71
Aug 26, 2025 · 40m E640
Ambassador Bridge
A billionaire family’s private bridge empire shaped Detroit for decades, sparking battles over power, neighborhoods, and the future of an international cross...
- 72
Aug 19, 2025 · 25m E639
All About That Bass
Vintage music barely had any bass. Today’s hits are all about the low end. What changed? An episode this week from our friends at Twenty Thousand Hertz, feat...
- 73
Aug 12, 2025 · 36m E638
Sister Aimee and the Birth of the Megachurch
Aimee Semple McPherson built America’s first megachurch, blended showbiz with salvation, and vanished in a scandal that captivated the nation. Sister Aimee a...
- 74
Aug 5, 2025 · 38m E354
Weeding is Fundamental Revisited
Libraries get rid of books all the time. There are so many new books coming in every day and only a finite amount of library space. The practice of freeing u...
- 75
Jul 29, 2025 · 40m E637
Air-Borne
Old ideas about air and disease were wrong on the science, but looking to the past might actually help us design healthier buildings today. Air-Borne Subscri...
- 76
Jul 25, 2025 · 1h 20m
Constitution Breakdown #1: Nikole Hannah-Jones
This is the first official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth discuss the Preamble, alongside...
- 77
Jul 22, 2025 · 40m E636
The Quiet Storm
How a radio show born at a small college station in DC and dedicated to smooth, romantic love songs transformed black radio and reshaped love lives across th...
- 78
Jul 15, 2025 · 31m E635
Neil Young’s iPod Killer
A rock icon sets out to save music with a strange yellow gadget that almost no one understood. Neil Young’s iPod Killer If you're new to the show (thanks App...
- 79
Jul 11, 2025 · 30m
Roman Mars's Guide to San Francisco
In this bonus episode, an offbeat walking tour through San Francisco uncovers hidden rooftop parks, a leaning skyscraper scandal, a vanished statue, and the...
- 80
Jul 8, 2025 · 38m E634
Food Deserts
How did millions of Americans end up living in neighborhoods where finding fresh food is harder than ever, and why is the problem by design, not accident? Th...