99% Invisible

100 Objects #1: The Century Safe

May 19, 2026·30 min·5-min readnarrativehistory
Podzilla Summary (5 min)
TLDR
The episode explores the story of a 19th-century time capsule—the Century Safe—sealed in 1876 and opened in 1976, revealing not national treasures but mundane artifacts that prompt a deeper reflection on what history preserves and what it forgets. It uses this narrative to launch a new se

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Guest

J

Jill Lepore

narrative on 99% Invisible

Mentions

Books, people, and resources mentioned in this episode.

People

Jill LeporeRoman MarsAnna DeemGerald Ford

Books

These Truthsby Jill Lepore

Companies

BBC Studios99% Invisible

Topics

American HistoryCivil Rights HistoryHistorical FiguresHistory Of ScienceLong Form JournalismTrue Crime

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