100 Objects #2: 60-Degree Screw
29 May - 35 minsIn the early 20th century, nothing quite fit — fire hoses couldn't connect to one another, football teams played with different balls, traffic lights meant different things in different states. Then World War II exposed the deadly cost of incompatibility, and the US quietly imposed a single solution on production lines across the world: the 60-degree screw. Roman Mars and historian Daniel Immerwahr tell the story of a hidden industrial empire, built one standard at a time.
A History of the United States in 100 Objects is a production of 99% Invisible and BBC Studios.
Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early.
Start a free tr...
Series Episodes
The MAPL Test
Canada reshaped its music industry with a quirky radio rule that changed who got heard.
40 mins
2 June Finished
Drug Story: Ivermectin
What started as a revolutionary treatment for river blindness became something far messier.
48 mins
26 May Finished
100 Objects #1: The Century Safe
A locked iron safe, sealed for 100 years. What objects did Americans choose to remember?
30 mins
19 May Finished
Ask Your Doctor About
As wild and random as they might seem, a lot of work—and even poetry—goes into coming up with today's catchiest, most unforgettable drug names.
32 mins
12 May Finished
A History of the United States in 100 Objects Trailer
100 objects. 100 stories. A new history of the US hiding in plain sight.
3 mins
8 May Finished
