100 Objects #6: "Sharpened Screwdriver"
26 June - 40 minsIn this episode, Roman and historians Heather Ann Thompson and Elliot Williams tell the story of the sharpened screwdriver: the object at the heart of the 1984 Bernhard Goetz subway shooting. In a difficult moment in New York City, four Black teenagers were transformed in the public imagination into armed criminals. What follows is a gripping account of how misinformation takes hold, how fear shapes public opinion, and how one narrative can ripple outward – echoing through decades of similar cases that continue to unfold today.
A History of the United States in 100 Objects is a production of 99% Invisible and BBC Studios.
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Series Episodes
Transatlantic Fiber-Optic Expialidocious
explicitBefore the internet went global, one undersea gamble made it possible.
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Billions of state quarters disappeared from circulation...and that was exactly the plan.
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Love it or hate it, one buzzing horn changed the sound of the World Cup forever.
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100 Objects #4: Lowe's Gas Bag
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38 mins
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