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Artwork for 99% Invisible

99% Invisible

Roman Mars
Robert Moses
New York City
Climate Change
Urban Planning
The Power Broker
Constitution
Los Angeles
Robert Caro
Urban Design
Congress
Video Games
California
Tennessee Valley Authority
Infrastructure
Supreme Court
Homelessness
Environmental Law
Megalopolis
Kingston Coal Ash Spill
Architecture

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.

PublishesTwice weeklyEpisodes849Founded16 years ago
Number of ListenersCategories
DesignArts

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Artwork for 99% Invisible

Latest Episodes

Jan Todd was considered by many to be the strongest woman in the world back in the 1970s. She set world records, lifted the Dinnie Stones in Scotland, and wrote the first rulebook for women's powerlifting. Then she became a historian, and uncovered a... more

On August 20th, 1857 a ship set sail from the Port of San Francisco with 600 people and thousands of pounds of gold. That gold was destined for the vaults of New York City banks, but it never made it. Instead, the ship sank to the bottom of the ocean... more

YouTube

Across the West, there's a contentious debate playing out over how to adapt homes and neighborhoods to this era of increasingly extreme wildfire risk. In Berkeley, California, it's become a particularly emotional fight because of a very specific arch... more

YouTube

In 1998, the recording industry was thriving. But the company pressing more compact discs than anyone else in America wasn't a record label…it was an internet company: America Online. The AOL Disc was a marketing coup—hugely successful. It’s not an o... more

Key Facts

Accepts Guests
Accepts Sponsors
Contact Information
Podcast Host
Number of Listeners
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Recent Guests

Jan Brandt
AOL marketing executive who created the AOL Disc campaign.
America Online
Episode: 100 Objects #22: AOL Disc
Alex Goldman
Journalist and host of Hyperfixed, formerly co-host of Reply All.
Hyperfixed
Episode: 100 Objects #22: AOL Disc
Katie Thornton
Reporter whose Esperanto story appeared in Harper's Magazine
Episode: Doktoro Esperanto
Hugh Ryan
Historian and author of The Women's House of Detention, a queer history of a forgotten prison.
Episode: 100 Objects #21: Window from the House of D
Richard Avery
Senior facilities manager at the Guggenheim
Guggenheim Museum
Episode: Audio Guide of the Imperfections of a Perfect Masterpiece
Nancy Spector
Artistic director and Jennifer and David Stockman Chief Curator at the Guggenheim
Guggenheim Museum
Episode: Audio Guide of the Imperfections of a Perfect Masterpiece
Christopher George
Director of the Guggenheim's fabrication department
Guggenheim Museum
Episode: Audio Guide of the Imperfections of a Perfect Masterpiece
Ashley Mendelson
Assistant curator of architecture and digital initiatives at the Guggenheim
Guggenheim Museum
Episode: Audio Guide of the Imperfections of a Perfect Masterpiece
Richard Armstrong
Director of the Guggenheim
Guggenheim Museum
Episode: Audio Guide of the Imperfections of a Perfect Masterpiece

Host

Roman Mars
Radio producer and host focused on design and architecture

Reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars from 46.1k ratings
  • AOL CDs

    Wow, Jan is personally responsible for landfill which can reach the moon.

    Can we get her to pay up? Maybe at least get all those rotting discs delivered to her house.

    Apple Podcasts
    5
    el blando
    Australia11 days ago
  • I had stopped listening because I was finding the stories chosen more and more... not sure exactly, but it had become too much of the same.

    But now, when expanding outside of America like the amazing story about the so-called bamboo fires in HongKong and the 100 Objects Series, the show feels "refreshed".

    Podcast Addict
    5
    Nan
    12 days ago
  • Gr8 episode

    Podcast Addict
    5
    mayuresh2
    20 days ago
  • Helmets

    Interesting review but you assigned a good bit of responsibility on the fans for being fans and not enough on the NFL for profiting off the sport that leads to the damage.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    SeeReneeBe
    United States21 days ago
  • 100 objects “message” is bad

    I’ve always enjoyed 99% visible and their stories. The 100 objects series pushes “the message” constantly and overbearing. Every story has identity politics at a centerpiece. The AA episode was so bad, a review was warranted.

    Apple Podcasts
    4
    Woco moto
    United States23 days ago

Listeners Say

Key themes from listener reviews, highlighting what works and what could be improved about the show.

Some listeners object to the framing of particular 100 Objects stories, especially the AA sobriety-chip episode.
Roman Mars's voice and hosting style are described as soothing and enjoyable.
Listeners praise the distinctive storytelling and often find episodes engaging enough to prompt further reading.
Several reviews criticize AI-related sponsorships and say the ads conflict with the show's focus on human creativity.
Some listeners appreciate the range of topics, while others skip episodes that fall outside their interests.

Chart Rankings

How this podcast ranks in the Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube charts.

Spotify
#8
United States/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#147
United States/Top Podcasts
Apple Podcasts
#1
United States/Arts/Design
Apple Podcasts
#3
United States/Arts
Spotify
#16
United Kingdom/Arts
Apple Podcasts
#85
Canada/Top Podcasts

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

100 Objects #22: AOL Disc
Q: So you do this first trial, this $250,000 trial, how does it go?
Brandt says the mailing generated a 12% response rate, with one list reaching 18%, substantially exceeding typical direct-mail results.
100 Objects #22: AOL Disc
Q: Can you explain what AOL was for those people? What did AOL offer people at this early era?
Jan Brandt says AOL offered a community and gathering place where people could connect with friends and family at a time when common online communication tools did not exist.
100 Objects #21: Window from the House of D
Q: How do you tease apart the goodness and the badness of a prison where queer women found community and understood their sexuality?
Ryan says the House of Detention could be both a prison and a place where queer women met and formed relationships. He places this in a broader history of queer people repurposing restrictive spaces to build community and live openly.
100 Objects #21: Window from the House of D
Q: Could you describe the history of incarceration in America before the Civil War?
Ryan explains that incarceration largely targeted violent white men, while women and people of color were controlled through family structures. After the Civil War, changing work and public lives led to more women being arrested and calls for women's prisons.
Doktoro Esperanto
Q: How does word get out about Esperanto?
Zamenhof encouraged readers to pledge to learn the language, replied to people who wrote to him, and built a directory of interested speakers that helped the grassroots movement grow.

Audience Metrics

Listeners, social reach, demographics and more for this podcast.

Listeners per Episode
Gender Skew
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Interests
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Frequently Asked Questions About 99% Invisible

What is 99% Invisible about and what kind of topics does it cover?

Narrative reporting explores how design and architecture shape everyday life, often through the history of a particular object, building, place or practice. Episodes combine archival research, field reporting, interviews with historians and other specialists, and personal stories to connect material details with broader cultural and social change. Roman Mars is the recurring host, sometimes joined by producers or guest presenters, while experts and people with firsthand experience add context and perspective. Recurring subjects include buildings, products, public spaces, language, music, sports and technology. The distinctive approach treats design as more than appearance: it examines how things are made, used and maintained, and how their ... more

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3. What Trump Can Teach Us About Con Law
4. This American Life
5. Cautionary Tales with Tim Harford

How many episodes of 99% Invisible are there?

99% Invisible launched 16 years ago and published 849 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on 99% Invisible?

Recent guests on 99% Invisible include:

1. Jan Brandt
2. Alex Goldman
3. Katie Thornton
4. Hugh Ryan
5. Richard Avery
6. Nancy Spector
7. Christopher George
8. Ashley Mendelson

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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