A History of the United States in 100 Objects

America’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 and 99% Invisible — tells that history one thing at a time. A gold coin from an 1857 shipwreck that triggered a financial panic. An antebellum schoolbook that became an instrument of Black liberation. A ceramic dalmatian from the set of Wheel of Fortune . Or a tiny screw that shows how the US created a hidden industrial empire. Each week, an object opens the door into an extraordinary, often shocking story — about who we’ve been, what we’ve built, and what we’ve allowed ourselves to forget. Some of these objects are well-known. Many are not. But all of them carry the story of how we got to this moment. This is not one narrative. It’s a hundred of them — forming a kaleidoscope that reveals a country stranger and more fascinating than any single telling could capture. Launching May 19, 2026 , wherever you listen to 99% Invisible.

You can listen to A History of the United States in 100 Objects online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

A History of the United States in 100 Objects is an episode from 99% Invisible by SiriusXM Podcasts and Roman Mars.

This episode is 00:03:30 long.

This episode was published on May 8, 2026.

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