99% Invisible

Mini-Stories: Volume 15

Dec 14, 2022

Join Chris Berube, a producer, as he shares amusing anecdotes about Queen Elizabeth II's visit to Canada, exposing the quirks of royal protocols. Engineer Martin Gonzalez unveils the wacky tale of how Janet Jackson’s 'Rhythm Nation' inadvertently caused laptops to crash, thanks to its unique frequencies. Kurt Kolstad reveals a fascinating story of Operation Beaver Drop, where beavers were parachuted from planes to new habitats, blending humor with a touch of environmental history. These tales prove that stories can be found in the most unexpected places!

37:16

Creator website

Episode guests

Kurt Kolstad

Chris Berube

Martin Gonzalez

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Intro

2min

The Exponential Rise of Emergency Siren Loudness

2min

Royal Protocols and Silent Encounters

8min

Scripted Royal Encounters and Urban Legends

3min

The Enigmatic Design of the Washington Metro

2min

The Curious Case of the Crashing Song

9min

Beavers in Parachutes: A Conservation Leap

11min

The whole conceit of this show is that if look at the world in the right way, you’ll see stories everywhere. Some of the stories are epic power struggles chronicling the construction of a famous skyscraper or the founding of a city; but other stories are more modest, smaller in scope and scale. We call those mini-stories and they're part of an ongoing, end-of-the-year tradition in which 99pi producers and friends of the show talk to host Roman Mars about something cool and fun that you can tell your friends or family about during a holiday get together.

You’ll hear about a very, very long escalator! Beavers dropping from the sky! We’ll hear from Janet, Miss Jackson if you’re nasty! Plus a visit from the queen!

Mini-Stories 15: Volume 15

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