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99% Invisible

100 Objects #2: 60-Degree Screw

5/29/202636 min

In the early 20th century, nothing quite fit — fire hoses couldn't connect to one another, football teams played with different balls, traffic lights meant different things in different states. Then World War II exposed the deadly cost of incompatibility, and the US quietly imposed a single solution on production lines across the world: the 60-degree screw. Roman Mars and historian Daniel Immerwahr tell the story of a hidden industrial empire, built one standard at a time.

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Clips

Hoses Can't Fit Hydrants
No Flag, Just Bolts
Bullets Don’t Fit Guns
British Declare Dependence
Stop On Green
Half-Inch Nuts Utopia

Transcript preview

First 90 seconds

  1. Roman Mars· Host0:00

    This episode is brought to you by PNC Bank. A lot of people think podcasts about architecture are boring. Yeah. Well, okay, sometimes the details are boring, but that's what creates stable foundations and construction that lasts, and that's something that everyone wants. It's like banking with PNC Bank. It might seem boring to save, plan, and make calculated decisions with your bank, but keeping your money boring is what helps you live a more happily fulfilled life. PNC Bank, brilliantly boring since 1865. Brilliantly boring since 1865 is a registered mark of the PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., PNC Bank, National Association, member FDIC. When you introduce extraordinary design into your life, something powerful happens. The world suddenly feels more alive, more vibrant, and you notice beauty where you didn't before. The same happens when you step into a Buick. Feel the confidence of premium materials, revel in unexpected design details, and enjoy thoughtful technologies. Visit buick.com to discover a luxury that can be yours right now. Buick, exceptional by design. It's 1904. There are only 45 states in the union. Less than 10% of homes have electricity. There's no radio, no TV, and building codes and fire safety are mostly things of the future.

  2. Daniel Immerwahr· Guest1:22

    In 1904, Baltimore had an enormous fire.

  3. Roman Mars· Host1:27

    This is historian Daniel Emrevar.

  4. Daniel Immerwahr· Guest1:29

    And

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