SiriusXM and BBC Studios today announced a major new original series, “A History of the United States in 100 Objects,” produced by BBC Studios Audio and the award-winning team behind SiriusXM’s acclaimed podcast about the hidden design and architecture shaping everyday life, “99% Invisible.”
Hosted by “99% Invisible” creator Roman Mars and premiering on May 19, “100 Objects” echoes the BBC’s 2010 landmark series, “A History of the World in 100 Objects,” by telling the story of America not through a single narrative, but through 100 distinct and surprising objects.
Each episode examines an ordinary object from America – sometimes overlooked, sometimes discarded – to uncover the human stories, contradictions, and cultural forces it reflects: a gold coin retrieved from a shipwreck in 1857 that triggered a financial panic; an antebellum schoolbook that became an instrument of Black liberation; a tiny screw that shows how the US created a hidden industrial empire; and 97 more. Blending meticulous reporting with immersive storytelling, “100 Objects” poses a central question: what if the objects that rarely make the history books say more about our country than those that do?
Throughout the series, Mars will be joined by a wide-ranging group of celebrated contributors, including historians, journalists, and acclaimed podcasters, as well as individuals with personal connections to the stories being told.
The project brings together some of the most respected voices in narrative storytelling for a rare, large-scale collaboration, including: “Radiolab” founder Jad Abumrad; Dan Taberski, investigative journalist and host of “Hysterical,” “Missing Richard Simmons,” and “9/12”; Song Exploder creator Hrishikesh Hirway; former MythBuster Adam Savage; current “Radiolab” co-host Latif Nasser; historian and New Yorker writer Jill Lepore; National Book Award winner Imani Perry; and a whole host of Peabody Award-winning journalists and producers, including Jack Hitt and The Kitchen Sisters, with additional contributors to be announced.
“The history of America can’t be captured in a single story,” explains Roman Mars. “So instead, we’re telling one hundred. By looking closely at the things we’ve made – and the things we’ve thrown away – we’re hoping to reveal a richer, more complicated picture of who we are.”
Helen Pendlebury, BBC Studios Audio’s Commercial & Content Partnerships Director, says, “SiriusXM and the ‘99% Invisible’ team are the perfect partners for this ambitious project which will reflect the best of all of us”.
“Roman Mars and the team behind 99% Invisible have a rare ability to take the seemingly ordinary and reveal something profound,” said Adam Sachs, SiriusXM’sSVP of Podcast Content. “Partnering with BBC Studios on a project of this scale allows us to bring that storytelling to an even broader audience.”
Beginning May 19, new episodes of “A History of the United States in 100 Objects” will drop every Friday in the “99% Invisible” feed on the SiriusXM app and wherever podcasts are available. Episodes will additionally be available a week early for SiriusXM Podcasts+ subscribers. More information available at siriusxm.com/podcasts-plus-subscription.
“100 Objects” is produced for SiriusXM by BBC Studios Audio with Roman Mars and the “99% Invisible” team. The series is executive produced by BBC Studios Audio’s Annie Brown (producer of the groundbreaking “1619” history series for The New York Times) and Courtney Harrell (producer of Wondery’s award-winning “9/12” series). The EP for SiriusXM is Kathy Tu.
“99% Invisible” is distributed on the SiriusXM Podcast Network, and SiriusXM Media, the company’s advertising division, has exclusive ad sales rights to the podcast. The SiriusXM Podcast Network, the #1 podcast network by reach, represents more of the top 20 podcasts than any other network* and reaches 1 in 2 U.S. podcast listeners each month.