“In every American object, you can find America.” This is the philosophy of Roman Mars, the host and creator of the hit radio show 99% invisibleas he explains his latest podcasting venture. Starting here, he tells us in the first episode A history of the United States in 100 objectsit can “look beyond the official record, outside the things we have already thought to preserve and put behind museum glass”. The podcast tells stories of objects hidden in plain sight, or that were lost or thrown away because no one thought they were important enough to keep. These are the stories of afterthoughts and hindsight.
It’s fitting, then, that the series debuts with a “centennial vault,” sealed as a time capsule in 1876 to mark the U.S.’s 100th birthday and hidden out of the nation’s consciousness—so much so that, when it came time to unlock it a century later, no one was quite sure where to find the key. However, expectations rose. These were items that the citizens of the former country had chosen to represent them and their values. “While we look inside this vault, let us look inside ourselves,” said Gerald Ford when the key was finally found and reopening was at hand. “Let us look into our hearts and into our hopes.”
Instead, they encountered anti-climaxes: objects that, as historian Jill Lepore puts it, “do not cross the valley of time with their significance intact.” I won’t spoil the surprise—listen for yourself to discover what late 19th-century Americans thought was worth preserving for posterity—but don’t expect to be impressed. As familiar as we may be with the idea that the past is a foreign place, it’s still hard to realize how much of our conception of the future, and what might matter there, is shaped by prejudices in the present that we’re not even aware of.
Can Mars find 100 objects that transcend time without losing their meaning by the 250th birthday of the United States? Is this very loss of meaning the most accurate retelling of America’s history? You can decide for yourself – but start by finding the keys.
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A history of the United States in 100 objects
SiriusXM from BBC Studios Audio with Roman Mars and the “99% Invisible” team.
(Further reading: The Internet wants you to hate Blake Lively)
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