A Year in the Dark

This week, two stories about the strange power of the 1-800 number. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, ... Show More

In 1888, Willard Bundy created the first employee "time clock" — essentially a souped-up grandfather clock that could, for the first time, produce an accurate record of when workers arrived and left. Though Bundy’s aim was simple, his invention soon sparked a change in American l ... Show More

Spolia, from a Liverpool neighborhood to ancient Rome. Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes of 99% Invisible ad-free and a whole week early. Start a free trial now on Apple Podcasts or by visiting siriusxm.com/podcastsplus. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz co ... Show More

Hurricane Maria touched down in Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017. It knocked out power for months and killed nearly 3,000. Years later, the island still bears the storm’s scars. Laura Marrero, a college student in San Juan, vlogged the storm and its aftermath.Source Material is ... Show More

As today's show begins, Hurricane Melissa is lashing the Caribbean. The massive storm is already a Category 5 yet it's still strengthening, becoming the strongest storm on the planet this year ... The assistance program 42 million Americans rely on to get food will run out of mon ... Show More

The entire island of Puerto Rico is without power after Hurricane Fiona made landfall on Sunday. More than 3 million people are in the dark, nearly five years to the day that Hurricane Maria struck.State officials in Alabama said they are not ready to use “nitrogen hypoxia” to ex ... Show More

Days after Ian, most Floridians now have their power back. Weeks after Fiona, more than 100,000 Puerto Rican households and businesses are still coping with blackouts and an outdated grid. The Washington Post’s Arelis Hernández explains. This episode was produced by Amanda Lewell ... Show More

After Hurricane Maria knocked out power on Puerto Rico for months, Ada Ramona Miranda Alvarado worked to protect communities on the island against future outages, using solar power. A transcript of this episode is available at https://bit.ly/3OjofW2. 

Maria and Julio welcome Alana Casanova-Burgess, reporter and producer for WNYC's "On The Media", and Cristina del Mar Quiles, reporter for the Center for Investigative Journalism (Centro de Periodismo Investigativo) to talk about Puerto Rico and "La Brega," a new seven-part bilin ... Show More

<p><i>Warning: This episode contains strong language and descriptions of death.</i></p><p>Over the past few days, Hurricane Helene has left a trail of devastation, killing more than 100 people, driving thousands from their homes and leaving millions without power.</p><p>Judson Jo ... Show More