Shows / 99% Invisible
99% Invisible
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.
Episodes
99% InvisibleConstitution 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…
- 99% Invisible
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…
- 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…
- 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 end up…
- 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. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to…
- 99% Invisible
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 the…
- 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…
- 99% Invisible
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 Flux…
99% InvisibleExit 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…
- 99% Invisible
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…
- 99% Invisible
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…
99% InvisibleConstitution 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…
- 99% Invisible
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 Podcasts+…
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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…
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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…
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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…
99% InvisibleConstitution 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…
- 99% Invisible
Murderland
Writer Caroline Fraser argues a chilling link between industrial poison, deadly design, and a generation of serial killers in the Pacific Northwest. Subscribe…
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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 to…
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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)…
- 99% Invisible
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…
99% InvisibleConstitution 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 through…
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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?…
99% InvisibleHidden 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…
99% InvisibleHidden 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%…
99% InvisibleHidden 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%…
99% InvisibleHidden 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…
99% InvisibleHidden 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%…
99% InvisibleHidden 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 a…
- 99% Invisible
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…
99% InvisibleThe 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…
99% InvisibleConstitution 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 Representative…
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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…
- 99% Invisible
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…
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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…
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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…
- 99% Invisible
Ambassador Bridge
A billionaire family’s private bridge empire shaped Detroit for decades, sparking battles over power, neighborhoods, and the future of an international…
- 99% Invisible
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…
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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 and…
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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 up…
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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 Subscribe…
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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…
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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 the…
- 99% Invisible
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 Apple…
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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…
- 99% Invisible
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? The…
- 99% Invisible
Open Borders
An immigration reporter’s chance encounter in the desert reveals how borders shape our actions, our beliefs, and the way we see the world around us. Open…
- 99% Invisible
The Titanic's Best Lifeboat
A century-old shipwreck, a sea of glass, and the lifeboats that were never meant to save you. The Titanic Was The Lifeboat Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to…
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The Red, the Black, and the Green
After Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd last year, tens of thousands of people all over the world took to the streets to protest…
99% InvisibleThe Return of Con Law
We heard you. The chorus of voices asking “where is Con Law? Where is Professor Elizabeth Joh to guide us through this madness? We need it now more than ever!”…
- 99% Invisible
Adapt or Design
A debilitating injury forces 99PI's Kurt Kohlstedt to confront new everyday challenges and seek out accessible design solutions for one-handed living. The full…
- 99% Invisible
Build, Interrupted: A Conversation with Ezra Klein
Why is it so hard to build anything in America? Ezra Klein explores how our good intentions led to a system that stifles progress, and what it would take to…
- 99% Invisible
Foreign in a Domestic Sense
A dusty surveillance file uncovers the story of love, betrayal, and the fight for Puerto Rico’s freedom. Foreign in a Domestic Sense Subscribe to SiriusXM…
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Fishing In The Night
Shortwave radio opened a portal to the world—then became a weapon in a high-stakes war of propaganda and power. The Divided Dial is a podcast series about the…
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Emoji Law 😅⚖️
A single 👍 emoji sent over text was meant to say “got it”—but instead, it kicked off a $62,000 legal battle and raised the question: can an emoji seal a…
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Changing Stripes Revisited
At the January 6th Capitol insurrection, rioters waved Confederate, MAGA, and Trump-as-Rambo flags. Easy to miss without knowing the design was a bright yellow…
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One-Nil to the Arsenal
A goofy Shakira remix, a nervy penalty kick, and 60,000 fans turning banter into legend—welcome to the world of football chants. One-Nil to the Arsenal…
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I've Got 1099 Problems...
If you're one of the millions of Americans struggling with your tax forms today, you're not alone. Even Albert Einstein allegedly found income taxes to be "the…
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Everything Is Tuberculosis
John Green uncovers how the world’s deadliest curable disease still thrives—and why everything, from cowboy hats to colonial borders, traces back to…
- 99% Invisible
A Walking Tour with Mr. Memphis
Take a whirlwind tour of Memphis with the city’s most enthusiastic historian, uncovering duck parades, telecom turf wars, and a street named after a single day…