99% Invisible: 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. The metal contraption transformed the way we measure feet…
99% Invisible: 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 long…
99% Invisible: Where the Fuck 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 navigation forever.
99% Invisible: The Longest Fence in the World
How a fence meant to protect sheep transformed the entire Australian landscape.
99% Invisible: 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 cost in…
99% Invisible: 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…
99% Invisible: The Em Dash
The strange history of a punctuation mark that makes writing feel human, and why people now think it proves the opposite.
99% Invisible: 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 Chakanetsa tells the story of how her country's journey from…
99% Invisible: Sax Appeal
In the 19th century, Western Europe experienced a gold rush in musical innovation. It was a time of unprecedented opportunity, when your improvement to an ancient instrument—like the trumpet or…
99% Invisible: U is Urbanism
How Jane Jacob's urbanism dreams came to life on the most beloved kids' TV block.