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.
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Recent Episodes
Drug Story: Ivermectin
May 26, 2026What started as a revolutionary treatment for river blindness became something far messier. Listen to Drug Story wherever you get your podcasts! Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new ep...
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This episode of 99% Invisible features Drug Story, a podcast exploring the history of ivermectin—a miracle drug that revolutionized treatment for parasitic diseases like river blindness and hookworm. The episode traces ivermectin's discovery in Japanese soil, its life-saving impact in Africa and beyond, and its controversial pivot during COVID-19 when it became central to debates about medical freedom, misinformation, and the erosion of trust in scientific institutions.
- The Hookworm Epidemic in the American South
- River Blindness and the Global Parasitic Crisis
100 Objects #1: The Century Safe
May 19, 2026In 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 wait, from Reconstruction to Watergate...
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This episode introduces 'A History of the United States in 100 Objects,' a new series exploring American history through meaningful artifacts. The show launches by examining the Century Safe, a time capsule created in 1876 for the nation's centennial and opened 100 years later during the bicentennial. When President Ford opened it in 1976, the contents proved disappointing—mostly photographs and mundane objects. Yet historian Jill Lepore reveals how even seemingly worthless items can illuminate America's past, setting the stage for a series that will look beyond official archives to find objects that tell the fuller story of American life.
- The Century Safe: A Time Capsule Concept
- The 1876 World's Fair and America's Centennial
Ask Your Doctor About
May 12, 2026As 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 SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episo...
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Sean Cole investigates the fascinating and surprisingly rigorous world of pharmaceutical brand naming, exploring why drugs have such unusual names and uncovering the hidden artistry, science, and regulation behind names like Viagra, Prozac, and Lunesta. Through interviews with industry legends like Scott Piergrossi of Brand Institute and Arlene Tech, who named Viagra, the story reveals the complex constraints, creative processes, and even poetry involved in creating drug names that must be distinctive, safe, and memorable in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
- The Puzzle of Pharmaceutical Names
- Inside Brand Institute: The Pharmaceutical Naming Powerhouse
A History of the United States in 100 Objects
May 08, 2026America’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 Roman Mars and produced by BBC Studios a...
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This episode introduces a new podcast series that explores American history through 100 everyday objects rather than traditional historical artifacts. The show promises to tell the story of the United States' 250th anniversary through items that hide in plain sight—from bootleg t-shirts to screws to spelling books—revealing a more complete and contradictory picture of who Americans are.
- The Power of Everyday Objects
- America's 250th Birthday Through Objects
Enshittification
May 05, 2026Why 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 week early. Start a free trial now on ...
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This episode explores 'enshittification' - the process by which platforms and products degrade over time to extract more value from locked-in users. Through the lens of modern tractors and John Deere, the show examines how software-controlled devices prevent users from repairing their own equipment, creating monopolistic repair markets. The episode covers the Right to Repair movement's efforts to combat these practices through legislation and grassroots activism.
- Smart Devices and Digital Frustration
- The Digitization of Tractors
Citizen of the World
Apr 28, 2026One man rejected nationality and dared the world to recognize him anyway. Listen to Far From Home wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% I...
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This episode explores the fascinating story of Gary Davis, an American Broadway actor turned WWII bomber pilot who renounced his U.S. citizenship in 1948 to become the world's first self-declared 'world citizen.' Davis founded the World Government of World Citizens and began issuing alternative passports and identity documents to challenge the nation-state system. Through an interview conducted in 2009 when Davis was 88, journalist Scott Gurian chronicles Davis's decades-long activism, his numerous arrests, and the ongoing work of his organization helping stateless people and refugees around the world.
- Gary Davis Renounces His U.S. Citizenship
- Camping at the United Nations and Gaining Global Attention
Constitution Breakdown #9: Alondra Nelson
Apr 24, 2026This 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 include some odds and ends like the Debts Claus...
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A comprehensive exploration of Articles 6 and 7 of the Constitution, with deep focus on the Supremacy Clause and its implications for AI regulation. Constitutional scholar Elizabeth Jo and Roman Mars discuss preemption doctrine before interviewing Dr. Alondra Nelson about AI governance, the challenges of federal versus state regulation, and her work on the AI Bill of Rights during the Biden administration.
- Constitutional Foundations: Articles 6 and 7
- The Supremacy Clause: Federal Power Over States
Co-op City
Apr 21, 2026The 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 listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ...
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This episode explores the history of Co-op City, the world's largest housing cooperative in the Bronx, New York. Through the story of Abraham Kazin and the United Housing Foundation, it traces the rise and fall of middle-class cooperative housing in America, examining how a massive government-subsidized project went from utopian vision to rent strike, and ultimately became a lasting example of affordable housing in an expensive city.
- Introduction to Co-op City and Housing Cooperatives
- Abraham Kazin and the Birth of Worker Housing Cooperatives
RoboUmp Hits the Big Leagues
Apr 14, 2026One 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 blown strike call can decide a win or a lo...
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This 99% Invisible episode explores the introduction of robot umpires (ABS system) in baseball, examining the trade-offs between accuracy and human elements of the game. Originally broadcast in 2023 and updated for 2025, the story follows the journey of automated ball-strike calling from minor leagues to Major League Baseball, revealing unexpected consequences for both the sport's drama and the umpires themselves.
- The 1997 Umpiring Disaster That Changed Everything
- How Robot Umpires Actually Work
Service Request #5: Dude, Where's My Car?
Apr 07, 2026A missing car reveals the confusing rules, murky fees, and private actors behind modern towing. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voice me...
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This episode investigates the world of predatory towing after a 99PI staff member's car was towed from a 7-Eleven parking lot in just 15 minutes. Through interviews with a retired Detroit police officer, a former predatory tow truck driver, and the victim herself, the show reveals how towing companies use spotters, manipulate fees, and exploit regulatory gray areas to run what amounts to legalized extortion. The investigation exposes a largely unregulated industry that profits by targeting vulnerable car owners and making it as difficult and expensive as possible to retrieve their vehicles.
- Kelly's 7-Eleven Parking Lot Nightmare
- How Towing Should Work vs. How It Actually Works
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? Submit your Service Request by recording a voi...
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This episode of Service Request investigates how the electrical grid in Phoenix, Arizona works, particularly during extreme heat. The show explores the vast infrastructure that generates and delivers electricity, from power plants to transmission lines to homes, and reveals the complex coordination required to keep the power flowing during the hottest days when the entire city depends on air conditioning for survival.
- The Life-or-Death Importance of Phoenix's Grid
- Understanding the Grid: The World's Largest Machine
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 night? Submit your Service Request by re...
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Roman Mars investigates why San Francisco seems to have so few public trash cans despite its litter problem, leading to a deep dive into the surprising complexity of urban waste management. The episode reveals that San Francisco actually has one of the highest concentrations of trash cans for a city its size, and explores a nearly decade-long odyssey to redesign them. Through interviews with Public Works officials, the story uncovers counterintuitive findings about trash behavior, the politics of waste, and why more trash cans don't necessarily mean cleaner streets.
- The Search for a Trash Can in San Francisco
- San Francisco's Trash Can Infrastructure and Placement Strategy
Constitution Breakdown #8: Jill Lepore
Mar 27, 2026This is the eighth episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth discuss Article V, which lays out the process to amend the Constitution. Then,...
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Roman Mars and Elizabeth Jo discuss Article 5 of the Constitution with historian Jill Lepore, exploring how the amendment process works, why it has become functionally impossible, and what this means for American democracy. The conversation covers the history of constitutional amendments, the rise of originalism, failed amendments that reveal American political aspirations, and the surprising story of Birch Bayh, the last successful amendment champion who nearly abolished the Electoral College.
- What Constitutional Amendments Really Are
- The Revolutionary Origins of the Amendment Process
What the world's most advanced traffic system can—and can't—do for the city that invented gridlock. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voic...
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This episode explores how Los Angeles manages its notorious traffic through ATSAC (Advanced Transportation System and Coordination), a sophisticated network that controls nearly 5,000 traffic signals across the city. The system was born out of necessity before the 1984 Olympics and has since evolved into what's considered the eighth wonder of the transportation world, using sensors, algorithms, and human intervention to balance the competing demands of millions of drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists navigating LA's fixed street infrastructure.
- The Birth of ATSAC: 1984 Olympics Crisis
- How ATSAC Works: The Brain Behind LA Traffic
Service Request #1: What Happens When I Call 311?
Mar 17, 2026The surprising power of a simple phone number to connect a community. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voice memo with your question and ...
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This episode explores how NYC's 311 system works, from its launch in 2003 to today. Starting with producer Christopher Johnson's ice cream truck noise complaint, the show reveals the massive infrastructure behind the city's non-emergency hotline, interviewing 311 operators and officials to understand how millions of complaints get tracked, routed, and sometimes solved. The system has evolved into a real-time feedback loop that helps the city understand and respond to New Yorkers' needs.
- The Mr. Softee Problem: One Man's Quest for Peace
- The Birth of 311: Creating a Central Nervous System for Cities
A Man, a Plan, a Canal—Mars!
Mar 10, 2026How one wealthy, amateur astronomer convinced the world Martians were real. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free ...
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This episode explores how turn-of-the-century America became convinced that intelligent life existed on Mars, centered on wealthy amateur astronomer Percival Lowell who built an observatory to prove his theory of Martian canals. The story reveals how wishful thinking, technological limitations, sensationalist media, and one man's ego created a mass delusion that captured the Western world's imagination, offering lessons about science, truth, and skepticism that resonate today.
- The Martian Craze of Turn-of-the-Century America
- Percival Lowell: The Wealthy Amateur Astronomer
Where the F*** Are We?
Mar 03, 2026For 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. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts...
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This episode explores the deadly longitude problem that plagued 18th-century navigation, leading to catastrophic shipwrecks like the 1707 disaster that killed up to 2,000 sailors near the Isles of Scilly. The story follows John Harrison, a self-taught clockmaker who spent decades perfecting a marine timekeeper to solve longitude calculation at sea, ultimately revolutionizing navigation despite bureaucratic obstacles. The episode concludes with a fascinating exploration of traditional Polynesian wayfinding techniques that achieved similar navigational feats without any instruments.
- The Isles of Scilly and the Deadly Waters
- The 1707 Naval Disaster and the Longitude Problem
Constitution Breakdown #7: California AG Rob Bonta
Feb 27, 2026This is the seventh episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constitution. This month, Roman and Elizabeth discuss Article IV, which outlines the relationship between states and between ...
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The Longest Fence in the World
Feb 24, 2026How a fence meant to protect sheep transformed the entire Australian landscape. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a f...
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This episode explores Australia's dingo barrier fence, the longest fence in the world at over 5,000 kilometers. Originally built to keep out rabbits, it was repurposed to protect the wool industry from dingoes. The fence has dramatically altered Australia's ecology, splitting the continent into two distinct ecosystems visible from space. The story examines the complex relationship between humans and dingoes, from the fence's maintenance to the tragic recent events on Fraser Island (Gari), where dingoes roam free and conflicts with tourists have led to fatal encounters.
- The World's Longest Fence
- From Rabbits to Dingoes: The Fence's Origin Story
Molar City
Feb 17, 2026How a small Mexican border town transformed itself into the dental tourism capital of the world, where dental care costs up to 80% less than what it might cost in the United States. Subscribe to Sir...
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99% Invisible explores Los Algodones, Mexico, a border town nicknamed 'Molar City' where nearly 1,000 dentists serve over a million American and Canadian medical tourists annually seeking affordable dental care. The episode traces the town's transformation from cotton farming to cantina culture to its current status as a dental tourism mecca, examining the economic forces, cultural dynamics, and human stories behind this unique cross-border phenomenon.
- The Journey to Molar City
- From Cotton Fields to Cantina Town