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99% Invisible
Whomst Among Us Let The Dogs Out (Again) [EPISODE] All kinds of songs get stuck in your head. Famous pop tunes from when you were a kid, album cuts...
a year ago
135

Whomst Among Us Let The Dogs Out (Again) [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
All kinds of songs get stuck in your head. Famous pop tunes from when you were a kid, album cuts you’ve listened to over and over again. And then there’s a category of memorable songs—the ones that we all just kind of know. Songs that somehow, without anyone’s permission, sneak...
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99% Invisible
The Fever Tree Hunt [EPISODE] “Most heists target gold, jewels or cash. This one targeted illegal seeds. As the British...
a year ago
129

The Fever Tree Hunt [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
“Most heists target gold, jewels or cash. This one targeted illegal seeds. As the British established their sprawling empire across the subcontinent and beyond, they encountered a formidable adversary — malaria. There was a cure — the bark of the Andean cinchona tree. The only...
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99% Invisible
Breaking Down The Power Broker [EPISODE] In 1974, two very significant things happened, if you are a fan of 99% invisible. Number one is that...
a year ago
121

Breaking Down The Power Broker [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
In 1974, two very significant things happened, if you are a fan of 99% invisible. Number one is that 99pi host Roman Mars was born. And number two, The Power Broker by Robert Caro was published. Roman learned about the power broker when he first started to cover cities and...
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99% Invisible
The Frankfurt Kitchen [EPISODE] After World War I, in Frankfurt, Germany, the city government was taking on a big project. A lot of...
a year ago
117

The Frankfurt Kitchen [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
After World War I, in Frankfurt, Germany, the city government was taking on a big project. A lot of residents were in dire straits, and in the second half of the 1920s, the city built over 10,000 public housing units. It was some of the earliest modern architecture — simple,...
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99% Invisible
The Big Dig [EPISODE] Over its more than 40 year journey from conception to completion, Boston’s Big Dig massive...
a year ago
103

The Big Dig [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Over its more than 40 year journey from conception to completion, Boston’s Big Dig massive infrastructure project, which rerouted the central highway in the heart of the city, encountered every hurdle imaginable: ruthless politics, engineering challenges, secretive contractors,...
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99% Invisible
The Lost Subways of North America [EPISODE] If you’ve spent any amount of time driving through any major American city, you know what it’s like...
9 months ago
88

The Lost Subways of North America [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

9 months ago
If you’ve spent any amount of time driving through any major American city, you know what it’s like to be stuck in bumper to bumper traffic. But if you’re from Los Angeles – the land of freeways, traffic and smog –  you know this struggle especially well.   But Jake Berman, the...
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99% Invisible
Courtroom Sketch [EPISODE] Earlier this year, the city of New York closed off several blocks around the Manhattan Criminal...
a year ago
87

Courtroom Sketch [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Earlier this year, the city of New York closed off several blocks around the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse. Instead of early morning commuters, the sidewalks around the building were flooded with reporters, photographers, and camera people. They were there to capture the...
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99% Invisible
Rocket Man [EPISODE] In the twentieth century, the jetpack became synonymous with the idea of a ‘futuristic society.’...
9 months ago
79

Rocket Man [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

9 months ago
In the twentieth century, the jetpack became synonymous with the idea of a ‘futuristic society.’ Appearing in cartoons and magazines, it felt like a matter of time before people could ride a jetpack to work. But jetpacks never became a mainstream technology, leaving many to...
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99% Invisible
Player Piano [EPISODE] The Last Archive is a history show. Our evidence is the evidence of history, the evidence of...
a year ago
74

Player Piano [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
The Last Archive is a history show. Our evidence is the evidence of history, the evidence of archives. Manuscripts, photographs, letters and diaries, government documents. Facebook posts, Youtube videos, DVDs. Oral histories. This stuff is known as the “historical record,” but of...
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99% Invisible
The Double Kick [EPISODE] Watch a skate video today, and you’ll notice how similarly shaped the boards are. It’s called the...
a year ago
74

The Double Kick [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Watch a skate video today, and you’ll notice how similarly shaped the boards are. It’s called the “popsicle” design, because the deck is narrow in the middle and rounded off at both ends, like a popsicle stick. This may seem stupid simple, but that basic, clean popsicle shape is...
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99% Invisible
Uptown Squirrel [EPISODE] This past fall, hundreds of people gathered at The Explorer’s Club in New York City. The building...
8 months ago
72

Uptown Squirrel [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

8 months ago
This past fall, hundreds of people gathered at The Explorer’s Club in New York City. The building was once a clubhouse for famed naturalists and explorers. Now it’s an archive of ephemera and rarities from pioneering expeditions including treks to the North Pole, the moon, and...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #04: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [EPISODE] This is the fourth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
10 months ago
72

The Power Broker #04: Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

10 months ago
This is the fourth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, the U.S. representative for New York’s 14th...
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99% Invisible
Nuts and Bolts [EPISODE] In her new book Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way),...
a year ago
72

Nuts and Bolts [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
In her new book Nuts and Bolts Seven Small Inventions That Changed the World (in a Big Way), structural engineer Roma Agrawal identifies and examines the seven of most basic building blocks of engineering that have shaped the modern world: the nail, the wheel, the spring, the...
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99% Invisible
Don’t Forget to Remember [EPISODE] We memorialize the losses most important to us, as a civilization. But what even is a memorial, and...
a year ago
71

Don’t Forget to Remember [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
We memorialize the losses most important to us, as a civilization. But what even is a memorial, and what does it do? And how does one memorialize such a vast and distributed tragedy like COVID-19,  which was devastating physically but also divisive politically? Memorials tend to...
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99% Invisible
The Los Angeles Leaf Blower Wars [EPISODE] The leaf blower is one of the most hated objects in the modern world. They’re loud, they pollute,...
8 months ago
71

The Los Angeles Leaf Blower Wars [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

8 months ago
The leaf blower is one of the most hated objects in the modern world. They’re loud, they pollute, and… how important is a leafless lawn anyway? In a lot of towns and cities, the gas-powered leaf blower has been banned. In others, there are strict guidelines on where and when they...
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99% Invisible
Category 6 [EPISODE] On the campus of Florida International University, in Miami, there’s a place ominously named “The...
8 months ago
70

Category 6 [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

8 months ago
On the campus of Florida International University, in Miami, there’s a place ominously named “The Extreme Events Institute.” They map the risk of storm surge for the whole Caribbean, and study how the public perceives the threats from natural disasters. They’re also home to the...
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99% Invisible
Backfired: The Vaping Wars [EPISODE] For decades, people have been trying to figure out how to create a cigarette without many of the...
8 months ago
70

Backfired: The Vaping Wars [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

8 months ago
For decades, people have been trying to figure out how to create a cigarette without many of the downsides. Cigarettes sans the things that make smoking the biggest cause of preventable death in America like tar, carcinogens, etc. Cigarette companies tried to create “safe,”...
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99% Invisible
Towers of Silence [EPISODE] Situated right in downtown Mumbai, India is an area of about 55 acres of dense, overgrown forest. In...
10 months ago
69

Towers of Silence [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

10 months ago
Situated right in downtown Mumbai, India is an area of about 55 acres of dense, overgrown forest. In one of the most populous cities in the world, this is a place where peacocks roam freely — a space out of time. This forest is protected by a religious community. It has survived...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #05: Brandy Zadrozny [EPISODE] This is the fifth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
9 months ago
69

The Power Broker #05: Brandy Zadrozny [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

9 months ago
This is the fifth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Brandy Zadrozny, a senior reporter for NBC News who covers misinformation,...
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99% Invisible
Cautionary Tales of the Sydney Opera House [EPISODE] The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic and distinctive buildings in the world — but it...
a year ago
69

Cautionary Tales of the Sydney Opera House [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
The Sydney Opera House is one of the most iconic and distinctive buildings in the world — but it took a relative newcomer and architectural outsider to dream up. The making of this future world heritage landmark is a tale for the ages — a cautionary tale, for which we turn to Tim...
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99% Invisible
Top Billing [EPISODE] There’s a rumor about the 1987 film Outrageous Fortune, a rumor that has dogged producer Jacob Reed...
6 months ago
67

Top Billing [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

6 months ago
There’s a rumor about the 1987 film Outrageous Fortune, a rumor that has dogged producer Jacob Reed since his days in film school. The comedy, starring Bette Midler and Shelley Long, is mostly forgotten. But a feud between the two stars was legendary, a fact referenced on TV by...
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99% Invisible
For Amusement Only (Free Replay) [EPISODE] Everyone has tried it at some point. The authorities started turning a blind eye years ago, but it...
a year ago
67

For Amusement Only (Free Replay) [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Everyone has tried it at some point. The authorities started turning a blind eye years ago, but it wasn’t officially legalized until the summer of 2014. Finally, after more than 80 years of illegitimacy, the City of Oakland has legalized…pinball machines. Today, we travel back to...
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99% Invisible
Anything’s Pastable: Eat Sauté Love [EPISODE] This week we’re featuring an episode from The Sporkful’s series on the creation of “Anything’s...
10 months ago
66

Anything’s Pastable: Eat Sauté Love [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

10 months ago
This week we’re featuring an episode from The Sporkful’s series on the creation of “Anything’s Pastable,” Dan Pashman’s new pasta cookbook. In part two of “Anything’s Pastable,” Dan embarks on an epic trip across Italy in search of lesser-known pasta dishes — and to learn about...
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99% Invisible
Shade Redux [EPISODE] This past May, the city of Los Angeles rolled out a brand new, state-of-the art feature for bus...
a year ago
66

Shade Redux [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
This past May, the city of Los Angeles rolled out a brand new, state-of-the art feature for bus shelters. It’s called La Sombrita. La Sombrita is a metal screen that’s intended to provide shade for the thousands of people who ride the bus every day. The shade screen is about two...
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99% Invisible
Train Set: Track Three [EPISODE] Happy National Train Day, everyone – for those of you who missed it: that was May 13th this year. A...
a year ago
66

Train Set: Track Three [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Happy National Train Day, everyone – for those of you who missed it: that was May 13th this year. A year ago, we started down this path with Train Set: Track One, which gave way to Track Two …and now, here we are for the final part of our train-fecta. First Stop: Shining Time...
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99% Invisible
Autism Pleasantville [EPISODE] A few years back, journalist Lauren Ober was diagnosed with autism. She then made a podcast about...
11 months ago
65

Autism Pleasantville [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

11 months ago
A few years back, journalist Lauren Ober was diagnosed with autism. She then made a podcast about her experience called The Loudest Girl in the World. And she found herself imagining a fantasy world where everything is tailored to Lauren’s very specific autistic needs. And she...
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99% Invisible
De Fiets is Niets [EPISODE] Today the Netherlands has a reputation as a kind of bicycling paradise. Dutch people own more...
a year ago
65

De Fiets is Niets [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Today the Netherlands has a reputation as a kind of bicycling paradise. Dutch people own more bicycles per capita than any other place in the world. The country has more than 20,000 miles of dedicated cycling paths. International policymakers make pilgrimages to the Netherlands...
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99% Invisible
Cue the Sun! [EPISODE] Back in 2003, Emily Nussbaum developed a covert guilty pleasure: she started watching the streaming...
5 months ago
65

Cue the Sun! [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

5 months ago
Back in 2003, Emily Nussbaum developed a covert guilty pleasure: she started watching the streaming 24-hour feeds of the first season of Big Brother in the U.S. Big Brother is a reality television show that debuted in the US in the year 2000. If you’ve never seen it, the show is...
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99% Invisible
You Are What You Watch [EPISODE] What we see on screen has this way of influencing our perception of the world, which makes sense...
a year ago
63

You Are What You Watch [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
What we see on screen has this way of influencing our perception of the world, which makes sense because the average American spends 2 hours and 51 minutes watching movies and TV each day. That’s a whopping 19 percent of our waking hours. Walt Hickey is a data journalist and...
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99% Invisible
The Art of the Olympics [EPISODE] The 2024 Paris Olympics are currently under way, and we thought we’d play two stories from the 99%...
6 months ago
63

The Art of the Olympics [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

6 months ago
The 2024 Paris Olympics are currently under way, and we thought we’d play two stories from the 99% Invisible archives about the art of the Olympics. Mexico 68 The 1968 Olympics took place in Mexico City, Mexico. It was the first Games ever hosted in a Latin American country. And...
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99% Invisible
Mini-Stories: Volume 20 Happy New Year! We’re starting 2025 with four more mini stories! This week we have a sleepy button,...
a month ago
63

Mini-Stories: Volume 20

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a month ago
Happy New Year! We’re starting 2025 with four more mini stories! This week we have a sleepy button, electric signs, a very important sticker, and video you can smell. Let’s get into it! Snooze Buttons In the 1950s, General Electric changed alarm clocks forever by adding a snooze...
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99% Invisible
Fact Checking the Supreme Court [EPISODE] The Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana, California is a large granite and sandstone building from...
8 months ago
63

Fact Checking the Supreme Court [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

8 months ago
The Orange County courthouse in Santa Ana, California is a large granite and sandstone building from the early 20th century. There, Jennifer Birch was there doing research for a group called Moms Demand Action. It’s an organization that advocates for gun control and regulation....
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99% Invisible
Planet Money: Zombie 2nd Mortgages [EPISODE] Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her...
5 months ago
62

Planet Money: Zombie 2nd Mortgages [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

5 months ago
Karen MacDonough had paid her mortgage for years, raised her family, and lived a quiet life in her Quincy, Massachusetts home—until one day, a group of strangers appeared on her lawn, claiming her house was up for foreclosure. What followed was a surreal discovery of “zombie...
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99% Invisible
The Infernal Machine [EPISODE] For most of history there was only one way to blow things up. You could pack a bunch of gunpowder in...
4 months ago
60

The Infernal Machine [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

4 months ago
For most of history there was only one way to blow things up. You could pack a bunch of gunpowder in one place and set it on fire. But then in the 1800s one scientist named Alfred Nobel dedicated himself to taming the incredibly volatile substance that was nitroglycerine.  After...
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99% Invisible
Mini-Stories: Volume 19 It’s that time again—mini-stories are back! Get ready for a whirlwind tour of short, surprising, and...
2 months ago
60

Mini-Stories: Volume 19

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

2 months ago
It’s that time again—mini-stories are back! Get ready for a whirlwind tour of short, surprising, and fascinating tales. This week we have punny highway signs, a PAC funded by exercise, the explosive history behind the Nobel Prize, and some long toes. Let’s get into it! Slow Down,...
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99% Invisible
A River Runs Through Los Angeles [EPISODE] When you hear the word “river,” you probably picture a majestic body of water flowing through a...
7 months ago
60

A River Runs Through Los Angeles [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

7 months ago
When you hear the word “river,” you probably picture a majestic body of water flowing through a natural habitat. Well, the LA River looks nothing like that. Most people who see it probably mistake it for a giant storm drain. It’s a deep trapezoidal channel with steep concrete...
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99% Invisible
Christiania [EPISODE] In the year 1623, Christian IV, king of Denmark and Norway, built a long series of moats and...
4 months ago
59

Christiania [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

4 months ago
In the year 1623, Christian IV, king of Denmark and Norway, built a long series of moats and ramparts just across from central Copenhagen, on the eastern edge of the city’s harbor, to protect the city from Swedish invasion. In the early 19th century, the Danish government added...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #06: Mike Schur [EPISODE] This is the sixth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
8 months ago
58

The Power Broker #06: Mike Schur [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

8 months ago
This is the sixth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott sit down with Mike Schur, who created the critically acclaimed NBC comedy The Good Place, and...
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99% Invisible
Craptions [EPISODE] Bad closed captions can be entertaining, but they can be serious, too, because captions are a...
a year ago
58

Craptions [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Bad closed captions can be entertaining, but they can be serious, too, because captions are a critical tool for lots of lots of people. There are the people learning a new language, the easily confused, and of course captions are essential for people who are Deaf or...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #08: Shiloh Frederick [EPISODE] This is the eighth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
6 months ago
58

The Power Broker #08: Shiloh Frederick [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

6 months ago
This is the eighth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Shiloh Frederick. Born and raised in New York City, Shiloh is a writer and...
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99% Invisible
The Price is Wrong [EPISODE] Insurance companies are not climate activists, but they know more about climate risk than just about...
5 months ago
58

The Price is Wrong [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

5 months ago
Insurance companies are not climate activists, but they know more about climate risk than just about anyone. And as storms get more extreme and unpredictable a lot of insurers are running the numbers on Florida and realizing that the math just isn’t working anymore. For decades,...
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99% Invisible
Hyperfixed: Dylan’s Supermarket Cold Case We’ve all got problems. Sometimes your problem is a massive roadblock in your life, or maybe it’s...
a month ago
57

Hyperfixed: Dylan’s Supermarket Cold Case

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a month ago
We’ve all got problems. Sometimes your problem is a massive roadblock in your life, or maybe it’s this little thing that quietly annoys you that you’ve learned to grudgingly put up with. But regardless of the size of your problem, it would be so great if someone would just fix it...
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99% Invisible
It’s Howdy Doody Time! [EPISODE] If your parents or grandparents grew up in the United States in the 1950s, there’s a decent chance...
9 months ago
56

It’s Howdy Doody Time! [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

9 months ago
If your parents or grandparents grew up in the United States in the 1950s, there’s a decent chance that they know the theme song to The Howdy Doody Show. The Howdy Doody Show is one of those pieces of 1950s ephemera that has come to symbolize mid-century American childhood. For...
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99% Invisible
Side Projects [EPISODE] This week we’re highlighting a couple of series that live inside the 99pi production tent. We’ve got...
6 months ago
56

Side Projects [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

6 months ago
This week we’re highlighting a couple of series that live inside the 99pi production tent. We’ve got a preview of a new miniseries for you called Not Built for This, created and hosted by Emmett FitzGerald. It’s a show about climate change, but not in the way you might think....
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99% Invisible
Trompe L’oeil [EPISODE] Today, we have three stories about designs meant to fool you. Camouflage meant to fool U-boats....
4 months ago
55

Trompe L’oeil [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

4 months ago
Today, we have three stories about designs meant to fool you. Camouflage meant to fool U-boats. Highways designed to fool your brain into going way faster than it should want to. And impeccably made fake signs meant to guide you to the right freeway. Three classic, favorite...
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99% Invisible
As Slow As Possible [EPISODE] In February, everyone who went to a concert in the old medieval town of Halberstadt, Germany, showed...
7 months ago
53

As Slow As Possible [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

7 months ago
In February, everyone who went to a concert in the old medieval town of Halberstadt, Germany, showed up 23 years late. This is also concert from which everyone walks out early. The performance is of a piece called ORGAN2/ASLSP. ASLSP stands for “as slow as possible,” which is how...
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99% Invisible
The 15 Minute City In February 2023, over two thousand people took to the streets in Oxford, England to protest their...
2 months ago
53

The 15 Minute City

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

2 months ago
In February 2023, over two thousand people took to the streets in Oxford, England to protest their local government. They were wearing yellow vests and chanting slogans about the municipality’s new traffic policies. But most notably, many of them were vocally angry about a new...
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99% Invisible
Maximum Temperature [EPISODE] The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like...
5 months ago
53

Maximum Temperature [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

5 months ago
The impacts of climate disasters are often measured in terms of property damage. But in places like Phoenix, Arizona, and in hot places all over the world, climate change is wreaking a very different kind of havoc – on living things. In the final episode of Not Built for This, we...
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99% Invisible
Medellin, Revisited [EPISODE] Back in the 1980s, Medellín, Colombia was in the middle of a full-blown crisis. 30 years ago, this...
5 months ago
53

Medellin, Revisited [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

5 months ago
Back in the 1980s, Medellín, Colombia was in the middle of a full-blown crisis. 30 years ago, this was the murder capital of the world. Pablo Escobar’s notorious Medellín Cartel was waging a bloody drug war right on the city’s streets. For Medellín’s residents, the threat of...
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99% Invisible
Meet Me at Riis There’s a particular slice of beach along the New York City shoreline, that, for the past 80 years,...
3 months ago
53

Meet Me at Riis

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

3 months ago
There’s a particular slice of beach along the New York City shoreline, that, for the past 80 years, has been a pivotal site for queer liberation. It’s called the People’s Beach at Jacob Riis Park, also known, simply, as Riis. This history is deeply connected to an abandoned,...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #9: Majora Carter [EPISODE] This is the ninth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
5 months ago
52

The Power Broker #9: Majora Carter [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

5 months ago
This is the ninth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Majora Carter, an urban revitalization strategist and real estate developer from...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #12: Robert Caro This is the twelfth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
2 months ago
52

The Power Broker #12: Robert Caro

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

2 months ago
This is the twelfth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. We’ve waited until the evening to see how splendid the day has been, and for this final installment, there was only one guest...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #07: Sec. Pete Buttigieg [EPISODE] This is the seventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
7 months ago
52

The Power Broker #07: Sec. Pete Buttigieg [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

7 months ago
This is the seventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott sit down with Pete Buttigieg, the US Secretary of Transportation. One of his major...
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99% Invisible
Spirit Halloween [EPISODE] Each fall, across the United States and Canada, around 1500 empty storefronts are taken up by the...
4 months ago
52

Spirit Halloween [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

4 months ago
Each fall, across the United States and Canada, around 1500 empty storefronts are taken up by the signature yellow, orange and black signage of Spirit Halloween. The seasonal retailer sells Halloween masks, Halloween costumes, Halloween costumes for dogs, Halloween decorations,...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #10: Clara Jeffery [EPISODE] This is the tenth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
4 months ago
51

The Power Broker #10: Clara Jeffery [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

4 months ago
This is the tenth official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman and Elliott also sit down with Clara Jeffery, the editor-in-chief of Mother Jones and the Center for...
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99% Invisible
The Known Unknown [EPISODE] How to honor unidentified remains has always been one of the great conundrums of war. The Romans...
a year ago
51

The Known Unknown [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
How to honor unidentified remains has always been one of the great conundrums of war. The Romans were fond of honoring them with an empty sarcophagus. After the Civil War, the Union buried 2,111 soldiers in a mass grave in Arlington that they purposely built in the middle of...
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99% Invisible
The Containment Plan [EPISODE] It’s hard to overstate the vastness of the Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles. It spans roughly 50...
7 months ago
50

The Containment Plan [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

7 months ago
It’s hard to overstate the vastness of the Skid Row neighborhood in Los Angeles. It spans roughly 50 blocks, occupying a significant portion of the downtown Los Angeles area. In some ways, it looks a lot like other neighborhoods with its corner stores and street vendors, old...
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99% Invisible
The Little Levee That Could [EPISODE] Most of the stories in this series have been about places that are ill-prepared for the extreme...
5 months ago
50

The Little Levee That Could [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

5 months ago
Most of the stories in this series have been about places that are ill-prepared for the extreme weather that is coming their way. But this story is about a place that managed to get the kind of infrastructure that will actually help it survive climate change. How after more than...
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99% Invisible
The 2024 Olympics Spectacular [EPISODE] From TV commercials and branded soda cans to Emily in Paris spon-con, the Olympics are once again...
7 months ago
49

The 2024 Olympics Spectacular [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

7 months ago
From TV commercials and branded soda cans to Emily in Paris spon-con, the Olympics are once again everywhere. In the Olympic spirit, we’re bringing you four stories about the games in all their international, theatrical glory. In the first story, Christopher Johnson introduces...
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99% Invisible
Goodnight Nobody [EPISODE] To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library, a list was published of the ten...
a year ago
49

Goodnight Nobody [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
To celebrate the 125th anniversary of the New York Public Library, a list was published of the ten books that had been checked out the most in the history of the library — and most of these were children’s books, like The Cat in the Hat and Where the Wild Things Are. Curiously...
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99% Invisible
Unbuilding the Terrace [EPISODE] All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of...
5 months ago
49

Unbuilding the Terrace [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

5 months ago
All across the country thousands of people are living in locations that regularly flood, and many of these places will only get more flood-prone as the climate continues to change. Residents who live in these danger zones are often trapped in a demoralizing loop—flooding,...
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99% Invisible
The Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant Persons [EPISODE] Hailing from central African cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, sapeurs have become increasingly...
10 months ago
49

The Society of Ambiance Makers and Elegant Persons [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

10 months ago
Hailing from central African cities of Brazzaville and Kinshasa, sapeurs have become increasingly recognizable around the world. Since the 1970s, sapeurs (from: le sape, short for “Société des Ambianceurs et des Personnes Élégantes”) have been known for donning technicolored...
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99% Invisible
Roman Mars Describes Santa Fe As It Is [EPISODE] Santa Fe wasn’t always on the proverbial map — in fact, the Santa Fe railroad just passed it on by....
11 months ago
48

Roman Mars Describes Santa Fe As It Is [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

11 months ago
Santa Fe wasn’t always on the proverbial map — in fact, the Santa Fe railroad just passed it on by. A lot of care has been taken to keep Santa Fe cute and quaint over its history, with steps to preserve native architecture and historical design. The result is a mixture of...
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99% Invisible
The Bottom of the Bowl [EPISODE] Reporter Emmett Fitzgerald was used to hearing people call his home state of Vermont a “climate...
6 months ago
48

The Bottom of the Bowl [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

6 months ago
Reporter Emmett Fitzgerald was used to hearing people call his home state of Vermont a “climate haven.” But last summer, he got a wake up call in the form of a devastating flood. All throughout the United States, people are watching the places they love change in unpredictable...
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99% Invisible
Ancient DMs Archaeologists searching through the ruins of the very ancient past are always happy to come across...
a month ago
48

Ancient DMs

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a month ago
Archaeologists searching through the ruins of the very ancient past are always happy to come across an epic poem or a historical chronicle, but very often the hardest documents to find are the ones that tell historians something about everyday life. About what it was like to be a...
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99% Invisible
Lost Cities of Geo Redux [EPISODE] If we’ve learned anything from watching the turnover of tech giants like Yahoo and Myspace, it’s...
a year ago
47

Lost Cities of Geo Redux [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
If we’ve learned anything from watching the turnover of tech giants like Yahoo and Myspace, it’s that internet darlings rise and fall — and there’s something darkly fascinating about watching it happen in real time. The Lost Cities of Geo We may now be seeing it all again with...
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99% Invisible
Mr. Yuk [EPISODE] Some of you may be familiar with a figure called Mr. Yuk, depending on your age and where you grew...
9 months ago
46

Mr. Yuk [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

9 months ago
Some of you may be familiar with a figure called Mr. Yuk, depending on your age and where you grew up, but for rest of you: Mr. Yuk is a neon green circular sticker with a cartoon face on it. His face is scrunched up with his eyes squeezed tight and his tongue is sticking The...
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99% Invisible
Roman, Elliott, and Robert Caro: Live in Conversation For 50 years, The Power Broker has remained a landmark biography, transforming how people see former...
3 months ago
46

Roman, Elliott, and Robert Caro: Live in Conversation

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

3 months ago
For 50 years, The Power Broker has remained a landmark biography, transforming how people see former New York City Parks Commissioner Robert Moses. If you’ve been listening to 99% Invisible’sPower Broker Breakdown, you’re familiar with the story.  The 99% Invisible Breakdown: The...
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99% Invisible
Chambre de Bonne [EPISODE] For many young people in Paris, it’s a right of passage to live in a very small, very French type of...
10 months ago
46

Chambre de Bonne [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

10 months ago
For many young people in Paris, it’s a right of passage to live in a very small, very French type of apartment, called a “chambre de bonne.” Literally, a maid’s room. A chambre de bonne is usually one small room, on the top floor of a five- or six-story apartment building, and...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #11: Brennan Lee Mulligan This is the eleventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize...
3 months ago
46

The Power Broker #11: Brennan Lee Mulligan

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

3 months ago
This is the eleventh official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. This week, Roman Mars and Elliott Kalan sit down with Brennan Lee Mulligan, a comedian and host with Dropout TV, where he’s...
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99% Invisible
How the World Ran Out of Everything There’s an image that’s stuck with many of us from the early pandemic: dozens of cargo ships...
3 months ago
46

How the World Ran Out of Everything

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

3 months ago
There’s an image that’s stuck with many of us from the early pandemic: dozens of cargo ships anchored off the coasts of US ports, stacked high with hundreds of thousands of containers filled with goods, just sitting there in a traffic jam. At the same time, grocery store shelves...
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99% Invisible
New Year, New Neighborhood Every year, millions of eyes turn to Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The ball drops, confetti flies,...
a month ago
45

New Year, New Neighborhood

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a month ago
Every year, millions of eyes turn to Times Square on New Year’s Eve. The ball drops, confetti flies, and people around the world celebrate as one of the most iconic urban spaces transforms into a glowing, glittering symbol of hope and renewal. But this carefully orchestrated...
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99% Invisible
Orange Alternative [EPISODE] In the months following the invasion of Ukraine, cryptic anti-war graffiti began popping up across...
over a year ago
45

Orange Alternative [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

over a year ago
In the months following the invasion of Ukraine, cryptic anti-war graffiti began popping up across Russia. People started writing out the phrase “no war” using asterisks instead of the various letters in order to disguise the meaning of the message. Then back in September, a...
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99% Invisible
The Monster Under the Sink [EPISODE] In the middle of the 20th century, the small town of Jasper, Indiana did something that no other...
11 months ago
45

The Monster Under the Sink [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

11 months ago
In the middle of the 20th century, the small town of Jasper, Indiana did something that no other city had done before: they made garbage illegal. The city would still collect some things, like soup cans and plastics, but yucky junk, like food waste, wouldn’t get picked up. This...
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99% Invisible
The Panopticon Effect [EPISODE] In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like...
a year ago
44

The Panopticon Effect [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
In the Netherlands, about an hour and a half south of Amsterdam, there’s a city called Breda. Like many Dutch towns, it has cozy narrow streets, canals and plenty of bicycles. But there’s one historic building – right in the middle of town that really stands out from the rest....
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99% Invisible
The Siren of Scrap Metal [EPISODE] Amid the noisy bustle of Mexico City, there is one iconic sound echoing on repeat in the background....
a year ago
43

The Siren of Scrap Metal [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Amid the noisy bustle of Mexico City, there is one iconic sound echoing on repeat in the background. A recording that blares from trucks looking to buy old household items and appliances, either to fix and resell or to sell for scrap. The crews inside these trucks are essentially...
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99% Invisible
Raccoon Resistance After Toronto unveiled its “raccoon-resistant” compost bins in 2016, some people feared the animals...
2 months ago
42

Raccoon Resistance

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

2 months ago
After Toronto unveiled its “raccoon-resistant” compost bins in 2016, some people feared the animals would be starved but many more celebrated the innovative design. Rolling out this novel locked bin opened a new battlefront in city’s ongoing “war on raccoons.” Toronto’s new...
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99% Invisible
The Ripple Effect [EPISODE] In disasters where a lot of people lose their homes, the impacts are not confined to a single city...
6 months ago
42

The Ripple Effect [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

6 months ago
In disasters where a lot of people lose their homes, the impacts are not confined to a single city or town. They ripple outward, cascading into the surrounding area, as the survivors are forced to go looking for new places to live. This is the story of what happened after the...
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99% Invisible
Model Village [EPISODE] For decades, society has dealt with people with dementia and other forms of cognitive decline by...
a year ago
42

Model Village [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
For decades, society has dealt with people with dementia and other forms of cognitive decline by storing them away in unstimulating, medicalized environments. But around the world, a new architectural movement is starting to challenge that old paradigm. Designing environments...
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99% Invisible
The White Castle System of Eating Houses [EPISODE] White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with...
a year ago
42

The White Castle System of Eating Houses [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
White Castle has its own take on fast food hamburgers. For starters, the patties are square, with five holes in each patty. And they’re small, too –- two-and-a-half inch sliders. Just big enough to fit into the palm of your hand. And since they’re steamed on a bed of onions,...
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99% Invisible
Toyetic [EPISODE] This year marks the 40th anniversary of a lot of landmarks in pop culture, especially sci-fi and...
11 months ago
41

Toyetic [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

11 months ago
This year marks the 40th anniversary of a lot of landmarks in pop culture, especially sci-fi and fantasy. So many franchises were born in 1984. Some came to define the genre or invent new genres. The great podcast Imaginary Worlds noticed this and produced a three-part series...
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99% Invisible
Brilliantly Boring [EPISODE] If you’ve been paying attention to our Power Broker series, then you know that bad infrastructure...
4 months ago
41

Brilliantly Boring [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

4 months ago
If you’ve been paying attention to our Power Broker series, then you know that bad infrastructure can cause harm. That makes it all the more important to recognize the thought and care that goes into the objects we use and see everyday. Nothing embodies that spirit of recognition...
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99% Invisible
The Memory Palace…Book! Back in 2008, Nate DiMeo started a podcast called The Memory Palace. Each episode of the show...
3 months ago
41

The Memory Palace…Book!

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

3 months ago
Back in 2008, Nate DiMeo started a podcast called The Memory Palace. Each episode of the show wrapped a little known piece of history inside one of Nate’s poetic essays. His stories have a remarkable way of combining facts with insight to call to mind forgotten moments from the...
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99% Invisible
A Whale-Oiled Machine [EPISODE] In the 1800s, whaling was a vast and brutal industry–sometimes as deadly for the sailors involved as...
a year ago
40

A Whale-Oiled Machine [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
In the 1800s, whaling was a vast and brutal industry–sometimes as deadly for the sailors involved as it was for the whales. And the global epicenter of whaling could be found in New Bedford, MA. All this slaughter wasn’t to feed hungry people with whale meat. It was about all the...
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99% Invisible
The Wilderness Tool [EPISODE] Imagine one of those old-timey lumberjack photos. The kind where two men in plaid are working away...
a year ago
38

The Wilderness Tool [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Imagine one of those old-timey lumberjack photos. The kind where two men in plaid are working away at a tree, holding opposite ends of a huge, human-length saw. That is a vintage crosscut saw. Some avid crosscut seekers spend hours mining websites like eBay and Craigslist. But...
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99% Invisible
Between the Blocks [EPISODE] Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large “interblock...
a year ago
37

Between the Blocks [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Seen from above, Sofia, Bulgaria, looks less like a city and more like a forest. Large “interblock park” green spaces between big apartment structures are a defining characteristic of the city. They’re not so much “parks” in the formal sense, with fences and gates, just open...
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99% Invisible
Roman Mars Describes Athens GA As It Is [EPISODE] This is the third and final episode in a three-part series of Roman Mars recording on-location...
10 months ago
34

Roman Mars Describes Athens GA As It Is [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

10 months ago
This is the third and final episode in a three-part series of Roman Mars recording on-location guides to the design features and interesting spots in cities he loves. Roman moved to Athens, Georgia, to pursue a PhD in plant genetics, but dropped out and got into the local music...
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99% Invisible
Dear John and Roman [EPISODE] Last year, Roman Mars teamed up with Hank Green to guest host Dear Hank & John — this year he’s back...
a year ago
34

Dear John and Roman [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Last year, Roman Mars teamed up with Hank Green to guest host Dear Hank & John — this year he’s back on the Greens’ show once again, but this time with Hank’s brother John. In their podcast Dear Hank & John, “hosts John and Hank Green (who are also authors and YouTubers) offer...
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99% Invisible
Sanctuary In July 1980, a group of Salvadoran migrants crossed the border between Mexico and Arizona. They...
a month ago
34

Sanctuary

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a month ago
In July 1980, a group of Salvadoran migrants crossed the border between Mexico and Arizona. They walked over a remote mountain range and halfway across a wide desert valley in the Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument. There were more than two dozen of them—people who had left...
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99% Invisible
Mini Stories: Volume 18 [EPISODE] Here it is: our second and final set of mini-stories for the season, cooked up in advance of the...
a year ago
34

Mini Stories: Volume 18 [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Here it is: our second and final set of mini-stories for the season, cooked up in advance of the holidays with finishing touches added after the new year. We’ll be covering upside-down construction, the linguistics of filler and a fire that has been burning for decades. Top-Down...
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99% Invisible
For a Dollar and a Dream [EPISODE] Every week, one in eight Americans places a bet on the dream of a life-changing lottery jackpot....
a year ago
33

For a Dollar and a Dream [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Every week, one in eight Americans places a bet on the dream of a life-changing lottery jackpot. Americans spend more on lottery tickets annually than on video streaming services, concert tickets, books, and movie tickets combined. The story of lotteries in the United States may...
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99% Invisible
In Proximity: Roman Mars and Ryan Coogler [EPISODE] In Proximity is a podcast from Proximity Media about craft, career, and creativity. Proximity...
a year ago
33

In Proximity: Roman Mars and Ryan Coogler [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
In Proximity is a podcast from Proximity Media about craft, career, and creativity. Proximity founder Ryan Coogler talks all about podcasts with Roman Mars, host and creator of 99% Invisible, a sound-rich narrative podcast about architecture and design. They discuss holding...
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99% Invisible
The Chinatown Punk Wars [EPISODE] The most recognizable feature of LA’s Chinatown is its Central Plaza. It’s an outdoor pedestrian...
over a year ago
32

The Chinatown Punk Wars [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

over a year ago
The most recognizable feature of LA’s Chinatown is its Central Plaza. It’s an outdoor pedestrian mall that is almost overwhelmingly colorful.  Brightly painted buildings are topped with sweeping pagoda style roofs, and then accented with fluorescent neon lacing. For decades...
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99% Invisible
One Year: The Day the Music Stopped [EPISODE] On Aug. 1, 1942, the nation’s recording studios went silent. Musicians were fed up with the new...
over a year ago
32

One Year: The Day the Music Stopped [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

over a year ago
On Aug. 1, 1942, the nation’s recording studios went silent. Musicians were fed up with the new technologies threatening their livelihoods, so they refused to record until they got their fair share. Evan Chung explores one of the most consequential labor actions of the 20th...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #03: David Sims [EPISODE] This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power...
11 months ago
31

The Power Broker #03: David Sims [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

11 months ago
This is the third official episode, breaking down the 1974 Pulitzer Prize winning book, The Power Broker by our hero Robert Caro. Blank Check podcast co-host and The Atlantic movie critic David Sims is our book club guest. On today’s show, Elliott Kalan, Roman Mars, and David...
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99% Invisible
Devolutionary Design [EPISODE] It’s hard to overstate just how important record album art was to music in the days before people...
a year ago
30

Devolutionary Design [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
It’s hard to overstate just how important record album art was to music in the days before people downloaded everything. Visuals were a key part of one’s experience with a record or tape or CD. The design of the album cover created a first impression of what was to come. Album...
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99% Invisible
Imitation Nation [EPISODE] 29 Palms, California, is home to the world’s largest Marine Corps Training Base. It’s an elaborately...
a year ago
30

Imitation Nation [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
29 Palms, California, is home to the world’s largest Marine Corps Training Base. It’s an elaborately built facility with lego-like buildings, a bazaar, a mosque, and people role-playing as civilians, spies, or enemies, complete with costumes and props. It’s all part of an effort...
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99% Invisible
Chick Tracts [EPISODE] Since Chick Publications started in the mid 1960s, it has sold more than one billion tracts. There...
a year ago
30

Chick Tracts [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Since Chick Publications started in the mid 1960s, it has sold more than one billion tracts. There are two hundred and seventy different Chick Tracts, with titles like “The Death Cookie,” “Kidnapped!,” “Mean Momma,” “The Sissy?,” and “Satan Comes To Salem.” Many of these are...
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99% Invisible
The Flop House: Megalopolis, with Roman Mars This episode is from our friends at The Flop House, a comedy podcast devoted to the worst in recent...
2 months ago
26

The Flop House: Megalopolis, with Roman Mars

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

2 months ago
This episode is from our friends at The Flop House, a comedy podcast devoted to the worst in recent film. Roman joins Dan McCoy, Stuart Wellington, and Power Broker co-host Elliott Kalan, to discuss Megalopolis, the recent bankrupting disaster from Francis Ford Coppola. Subscribe...
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99% Invisible
Power Broker #01: Robert Caro [EPISODE] In our first official episode of this year’s epic mini-series breaking down The Power Broker, the...
a year ago
25

Power Broker #01: Robert Caro [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
In our first official episode of this year’s epic mini-series breaking down The Power Broker, the author himself, Robert Caro, joins to talk about his book, process, and the problematic man himself: Robert Moses. On today’s show, Elliott Kalan and Roman Mars will cover the...
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99% Invisible
RoboUmp [EPISODE] In the major leagues, there are four umpires on the field — one behind each base, and one behind...
a year ago
25

RoboUmp [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
In the major leagues, there are four umpires on the field — one behind each base, and one behind home plate, who has arguably the most important job, calling balls and strikes. A strike is basically any hittable pitch — something over the plate, between the batter’s chest and his...
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99% Invisible
Empire of the Sum [EPISODE] Whether or not you’re a fan of math, we’ve always had a need to count things. Maybe it’s to figure...
a year ago
25

Empire of the Sum [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Whether or not you’re a fan of math, we’ve always had a need to count things. Maybe it’s to figure out the maximum weight an airplane can safely hold, or the appropriate amount to tip after a meal, or the exact number of minutes in a year so you can accurately write the...
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99% Invisible
WARNING: This Podcast Contains Chemicals Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer or Other... WARNING: Entering this area can expose you to chemicals known to the State of California to cause...
11 months ago
24

WARNING: This Podcast Contains Chemicals Known to the State of California to Cause Cancer or Other Reproductive Harm [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

11 months ago
WARNING: Entering this area can expose you to chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm, including Benzene, a chemical used in urinal cleaners and Toluene, a chemical used in common household cleaning products. For...
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99% Invisible
Trail Mix [EPISODE] A good trail is one that is easy to follow and well maintained. Each trail is designed, constructed...
a year ago
22

Trail Mix [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
A good trail is one that is easy to follow and well maintained. Each trail is designed, constructed and maintained to meet specific standards. These standards relate to the recreational experience the trail is intended to provide. But trails are something many of us take for...
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99% Invisible
Melanie Speaks [EPISODE] Swan Real is in this week for Roman Mars, asking: “What makes you sound the way you do? Maybe you’ve...
a year ago
22

Melanie Speaks [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Swan Real is in this week for Roman Mars, asking: “What makes you sound the way you do? Maybe you’ve been told that you speak like your mom, or that you laugh like your uncle. Maybe you sometimes slip back into an accent that reveals something about your past. Maybe you have a...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker #02: Jamelle Bouie [EPISODE] For those reading along at home: welcome back to our read-along series on The Power Broker, a...
a year ago
22

The Power Broker #02: Jamelle Bouie [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
For those reading along at home: welcome back to our read-along series on The Power Broker, a groundbreaking book by Robert Caro looking at one of the most infamous urban influencers in modern history: Robert Moses, who reshaped New York City. On today’s show, Elliott Kalan and...
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99% Invisible
The Six-Week Cure [EPISODE] In the mid-1900s, people flocked to Reno, Nevada — not for frontier gold or loose slots, but to get...
a year ago
21

The Six-Week Cure [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
In the mid-1900s, people flocked to Reno, Nevada — not for frontier gold or loose slots, but to get out of bad marries.  The city became known as the “Divorce Capital of the World.” For much of modern history, it has been relatively easy to get married, and extremely difficult to...
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99% Invisible
Trail Mix: Track Two [EPISODE] Welcome to our second episode of short stories all about what may be the original designed object:...
a year ago
21

Trail Mix: Track Two [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Welcome to our second episode of short stories all about what may be the original designed object: the trail. If you haven’t heard the first episode yet you should totally go back and listen. It’s a lot of fun. Trail Mix We’re going to kick this second episode once again starting...
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99% Invisible
Mini-Stories: Volume 17 [EPISODE] It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s mini-stories season! Gather the kids around the fire...
a year ago
19

Mini-Stories: Volume 17 [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
It’s the most wonderful time of the year. It’s mini-stories season! Gather the kids around the fire because We have a year-end mix of short stories about a rogue architect, spooky kitchens, a hundred year old music streaming service, and the crazy way the French tried to make...
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99% Invisible
Roman Mars Describes Chicago As It Is [EPISODE] A few years ago, at the very start of the pandemic, Roman Mars wrote an episode of 99pi in which he...
a year ago
18

Roman Mars Describes Chicago As It Is [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
A few years ago, at the very start of the pandemic, Roman Mars wrote an episode of 99pi in which he simply talked about design details in his house — realizing that he, like the audience, didn’t have many other places to go. )You should check it out — it’s a real time capsule,...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker Breakdown Breakdown The Power Broker Breakdown may have concluded, but if you’re just tuning in (or if you just want a...
4 weeks ago
17

The Power Broker Breakdown Breakdown

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

4 weeks ago
The Power Broker Breakdown may have concluded, but if you’re just tuning in (or if you just want a quick refresher), this episode is a compilation of the summary portions of the The Power Broker Breakdown series. You can find the entire series in the 99% Invisible feed, wherever...
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99% Invisible
The Country of the Blind [EPISODE] We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway...
a year ago
17

The Country of the Blind [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
We meet Andrew Leland as he’s suspended in the liminal state of the soon-to-be blind: he’s midway through his life with retinitis pigmentosa, a condition that ushers those who live with it from sightedness to blindness over years, even decades. He grew up with full vision, but...
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99% Invisible
Long Strange Tape [EPISODE] The Cassette tape was great in so many ways, but let’s be honest, they never really sounded great....
a year ago
16

Long Strange Tape [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
The Cassette tape was great in so many ways, but let’s be honest, they never really sounded great.  But because the cassette was so much cheaper and easier to use and portable, a lot of people didn’t care so much about the audio quality. They just wanted to be able to use...
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99% Invisible
Blood in the Machine [EPISODE] Brian Merchant is a tech reporter, and he’d been covering the industry for years when he started to...
a year ago
16

Blood in the Machine [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Brian Merchant is a tech reporter, and he’d been covering the industry for years when he started to notice a term that kept coming up. Especially when he wrote a story that was critical of tech, he’d be accused of being a “Luddite.” Like most people, Brian knew at least vaguely...
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99% Invisible
Home on the Range [EPISODE] In a lot of ways, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, sounds just like any other suburb. If you walk around town,...
a year ago
15

Home on the Range [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
In a lot of ways, Lincoln Heights, Ohio, sounds just like any other suburb. If you walk around town, you’ll hear kids playing outside the local elementary school. You’ll hear the highway that takes commuters down to Cincinnati. At the woods on the edge of town, the birdsong is...
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99% Invisible
Cooking with Gas [EPISODE] Back in January, Bloomberg News published a story quoting an obscure government official named...
a year ago
13

Cooking with Gas [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Back in January, Bloomberg News published a story quoting an obscure government official named Richard Trumka Jr. He works with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which regulates stuff like furniture and electronics and household appliances. Basically, the agency is supposed...
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99% Invisible
Your Own Personal Jesus The most popular image of Jesus Christ in the world—a white man with blue eyes, wavy brown hair, and...
a week ago
13

Your Own Personal Jesus

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a week ago
The most popular image of Jesus Christ in the world—a white man with blue eyes, wavy brown hair, and a soft, peaceful gaze—comes from Head of Christ, a 1940 painting by Chicago artist Warner Sallman. It’s been reproduced over a billion times, shaping how millions imagine Jesus....
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99% Invisible
The Wide Open When the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973, it was considered a bipartisan home run. The Act...
2 weeks ago
13

The Wide Open

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

2 weeks ago
When the Endangered Species Act passed in 1973, it was considered a bipartisan home run. The Act established protections for plants and animals on the endangered and threatened species lists, and across the aisle, everyone seemed to agree that it would be bad for a bunch of...
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99% Invisible
Office Space [EPISODE] Right now, in Manhattan, 18% of office space is vacant. At the same time, the city of New York has a...
a year ago
13

Office Space [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Right now, in Manhattan, 18% of office space is vacant. At the same time, the city of New York has a major housing problem, with more than 100,000 people using the municipal shelter system. So Eric Adams and city officials are talking a lot about taking those empty offices, and...
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99% Invisible
Valley So Low In 2008, a billion gallons of toxic sludge spewed across 300 acres of Tennessee in the middle of the...
3 weeks ago
12

Valley So Low

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

3 weeks ago
In 2008, a billion gallons of toxic sludge spewed across 300 acres of Tennessee in the middle of the night. It was just before Christmas. At the time, Jared Sullivan was in high school and remembers the disaster. For over fifty years a power company called the Tennessee Valley...
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99% Invisible
You Ain’t Nothin But a Postmark [EPISODE] Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as...
a year ago
11

You Ain’t Nothin But a Postmark [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
Over a decade after Elvis Presley’s death, the king of rock & roll took over headlines once again as Americans weighed in on which portrait of Elvis would be forever immortalized on a 29 cent US postage stamp. It was put to a popular vote: should the stamp feature an image of...
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99% Invisible
Devil in the Details [EPISODE] In 1994, an independent producer made a short, earnest video featuring an eccentric cast of...
a year ago
9

Devil in the Details [EPISODE]

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a year ago
In 1994, an independent producer made a short, earnest video featuring an eccentric cast of characters who were focused on a very specific paranoia. The tape was made to look like a TV news special. It opens with a cheap, Jerry Springer-era computer graphic of a gold pentagram...
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99% Invisible
The Power Broker Breakdown Wrap-Up Join Roman and Elliott one last time as they reflect on their journey with you all through The Power...
a week ago
6

The Power Broker Breakdown Wrap-Up

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

a week ago
Join Roman and Elliott one last time as they reflect on their journey with you all through The Power Broker, exploring their favorite moments and answering listener questions in this bonus episode. If you finished The Power Broker with us (or know someone who did), get the 99PI...
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99% Invisible
The Nazi Block In the heart of Berlin’s Tempelhof-Schöneberg district, an unusual concrete cylinder sits as an...
4 days ago
5

The Nazi Block

from 99% Invisible [alt+shift+b] in architecture

4 days ago
In the heart of Berlin’s Tempelhof-Schöneberg district, an unusual concrete cylinder sits as an abandoned eyesore. At first sight, it might be mistaken for a deteriorating grain silo or a remnant of Cold War infrastructure. But this peculiar structure, known officially as the...
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