99% Invisible podcast

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.

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.

 

#742

The 99PI Anniversary Special: 15 for 15

For 99PI’s 15th anniversary, Roman sits in the hot seat to answer 15 eclectic questions, t... more

02 Sep 2025

50 MINS

50:58

02 Sep 2025


#741

Ambassador Bridge

A billionaire family’s private bridge empire shaped Detroit for decades, sparking battles ... more

26 Aug 2025

40 MINS

40:13

26 Aug 2025


#740

All About That Bass

Vintage music barely had any bass. Today’s hits are all about the low end. What changed? A... more

19 Aug 2025

25 MINS

25:51

19 Aug 2025


#739

Sister Aimee and the Birth of the Megachurch

Aimee Semple McPherson built America’s first megachurch, blended showbiz with salvation, a... more

12 Aug 2025

36 MINS

36:03

12 Aug 2025


#738

Weeding is Fundamental Revisited

Libraries get rid of books all the time. There are so many new books coming in every day a... more

05 Aug 2025

38 MINS

38:03

05 Aug 2025


#737

Air-Borne

Old ideas about air and disease were wrong on the science, but looking to the past might a... more

29 Jul 2025

40 MINS

40:46

29 Jul 2025


#736

Constitution Breakdown #1: Nikole Hannah-Jones

This is the first official episode of our ongoing series breaking down the U.S. Constituti... more

25 Jul 2025

1 HR 20 MINS

1:20:17

25 Jul 2025


#735

The Quiet Storm

How a radio show born at a small college station in DC and dedicated to smooth, romantic l... more

22 Jul 2025

40 MINS

40:40

22 Jul 2025


#734

Neil Young’s iPod Killer

A rock icon sets out to save music with a strange yellow gadget that almost no one underst... more

15 Jul 2025

31 MINS

31:00

15 Jul 2025


#733

Roman Mars's Guide to San Francisco

In this bonus episode, an offbeat walking tour through San Francisco uncovers hidden rooft... more

11 Jul 2025

30 MINS

30:18

11 Jul 2025


#732

Food Deserts

How did millions of Americans end up living in neighborhoods where finding fresh food is h... more

08 Jul 2025

38 MINS

38:15

08 Jul 2025


#731

Open Borders

An immigration reporter’s chance encounter in the desert reveals how borders shape our act... more

01 Jul 2025

29 MINS

29:09

01 Jul 2025


#730

The Titanic's Best Lifeboat

A century-old shipwreck, a sea of glass, and the lifeboats that were never meant to save y... more

24 Jun 2025

33 MINS

33:17

24 Jun 2025


#729

The Red, the Black, and the Green

After Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd last year, tens of th... more

17 Jun 2025

35 MINS

35:40

17 Jun 2025


#728

The Return of Con Law

We heard you. The chorus of voices asking “where is Con Law? Where is Professor Elizabeth ... more

10 Jun 2025

57 MINS

57:38

10 Jun 2025


#727

Adapt or Design

A debilitating injury forces 99PI's Kurt Kohlstedt to confront new everyday challenges and... more

03 Jun 2025

32 MINS

32:42

03 Jun 2025


#726

Build, Interrupted: A Conversation with Ezra Klein

Why is it so hard to build anything in America? Ezra Klein explores how our good intention... more

27 May 2025

43 MINS

43:41

27 May 2025


#725

Foreign in a Domestic Sense

A dusty surveillance file uncovers the story of love, betrayal, and the fight for Puerto R... more

20 May 2025

38 MINS

38:10

20 May 2025


#724

Fishing In The Night

Shortwave radio opened a portal to the world—then became a weapon in a high-stakes war of ... more

13 May 2025

44 MINS

44:17

13 May 2025


#723

😅⚖️

A single 👍 emoji sent over text was meant to say “got it”—but instead, it kicked off a $6... more

06 May 2025

27 MINS

27:29

06 May 2025


#722

Changing Stripes Revisited

At the January 6th Capitol insurrection, rioters waved Confederate, MAGA, and Trump-as-Ram... more

29 Apr 2025

32 MINS

32:48

29 Apr 2025


#721

One-Nil to the Arsenal

A goofy Shakira remix, a nervy penalty kick, and 60,000 fans turning banter into legend—we... more

22 Apr 2025

32 MINS

32:30

22 Apr 2025