Episode notes
How a Swiss mountain call crossed the Atlantic and helped define the sound of country music.
Podcast
99% Invisible
Roman Mars · Arts & Books · English
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.
More from 99% Invisible All episodes →
-
E686 · 6 Oct 2026 · 28 min
(Not Just) Another Brick in the Wall
A closer look at the messy, beautiful bricks hiding across Chicago.
-
2 Oct 2026 · 53 min
100 Objects #20: AA Sobriety Chip
Imbued in the Alcoholics Anonymous sobriety chip is a hidden history of America’s relationship to gender, religion, and morality.
-
25 Sep 2026 · 39 min
100 Objects #19: Western Electric 500 Series
Former MythBuster Adam Savage joins Roman Mars to explore the history of the 500 Series Telephone and what we lost when we eventually decided to leave it behind.
-
E684 · 22 Sep 2026 · 33 min
The Rocky Statue
How a movie prop became one of Philadelphia’s most beloved monuments, and sparked a decades-long fight over where it belonged.
-
18 Sep 2026 · 35 min
100 Objects #18: Hair Relaxer
How a single product—the hair relaxer—became a mirror for all of America's contradictions.
-
E683 · 15 Sep 2026 · 37 min
Doves Type
A legendary typeface, a spectacular friendship breakup, and one extremely committed act of revenge.
-
11 Sep 2026 · 41 min
100 Objects #17: M43 Field Jacket
How should the military outfit its soldiers to make them as safe and effective as possible?
Take it with you
The Melo app keeps playing with the screen off, works in the car and on your watch, wakes you to your station, and browses the whole catalogue offline. Free, no ads, no account.
