99% invisible Creator Roman Mars is hosting a new series about the things that shaped America’s history.
Presentation, a History of the United States in 100 objectsproduced by SiriusXM and BBC Studios, will see March explore the stories behind things like a gold coin from an 1857 shipwreck that led to a financial panic, an antebellum textbook that became a tool for black liberation, and a tiny nail that shows how the United States created a hidden industrial empire.
“America’s history cannot be recorded in one story,” Mars said. “So instead, we’re telling 100. By looking more closely at the things we’ve made — and the things we’ve gotten rid of — we hope to reveal a richer, more complex picture of who we are.”
In addition to the new show, Mars hosts 99% invisiblee, a narrative podcast about unremarkable architecture and design, which has spawned multiple spin-off series, including Articles of interest and 99% invisible collapse of the power medium. SiriusXM acquired 99% of Invisible shares in 2021..
Throughout the new series, Martians will be joined by historians, journalists, and bloggers, as well as individuals with personal connections to the stories being told. The assortment includes Radiolab founder Jad Abu Murad; Dan Tabersky, investigative journalist and show host hysterical, Explosive song creator Hrishikesh Hirway; former MythBuster Adam Savage; present Radiolab Co-host Latif Nasir et al.
The first episode will premiere on May 19, with weekly episodes following in the “99% Invisible” feed on the SiriusXM app and wherever podcasts are available.
