A new podcast series from BBC Studios and SiriusXM will explore US history through everyday objects.
A History of the United States in 100 Objects is a new original podcast produced by BBC Studios Audio in collaboration with the team behind 99% Invisible.
Hosted by Roman Mars, the series examines one object per episode to reveal stories about American life, culture and history, drawing on items that are often overlooked or discarded.
The format takes inspiration from the BBC’s 2010 series A History of the World in 100 Objects but shifts the focus to the United States and its social and cultural development.
Each episode will explore the significance of a single item, including a gold coin linked to the financial panic of 1857, an antebellum schoolbook connected to Black liberation, and a small industrial screw reflecting the country’s manufacturing history.
Roman said: “The history of America can’t be captured in a single story. 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.”
The series will feature contributions from a range of historians, journalists and podcasters, alongside people with personal connections to the objects being discussed.
Contributors include Jad Abumrad, Dan Taberski, Hrishikesh Hirway, Adam Savage, Latif Nasser, Jill Lepore, Imani Perry, Jack Hitt and The Kitchen Sisters, with further names to be announced.
Helen Pendlebury, BBC Studios Audio’s Commercial and Content Partnerships Director, said SiriusXM and the 99% Invisible team were strong collaborators for the project.
Adam Sachs, SiriusXM’s Senior Vice President of Podcast Content, added: “Roman Mars and the team behind 99% Invisible have a rare ability to take the seemingly ordinary and reveal something profound.”
New episodes will be released every Friday from 19 May in the “99% Invisible” feed on the SiriusXM app and other podcast platforms, with early access available to SiriusXM Podcasts+ subscribers.
