For a Dollar and a Dream

The surprising power of a simple phone number to connect a community. What infrastructure mystery keeps you up at night? Submit your Service Request by recording a voice memo with your question and emailing it to servicerequest@99pi.org. Service Request is a production of 99% Inv ...  Show more

How one wealthy, amateur astronomer convinced the world Martians were real. 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 Simp ...  Show more

Lotteries aren’t just about winning money. They’re also being used to nudge people to change their behaviour.In the UK we try out a mobile app that enters users in to a £25,000 lottery every time they pick up a piece of litter. We see how heart patients in the US can win smaller ...  Show more

Elizabeth has long had a fantasy that one day she would win the lottery, but in this episode, Zaron offers up evidence that she may want to find a new dream. You see, he bigger the lottery win, the more likely the winner's life is ruined by their good fortune. And often in ridicu ...  Show more

A chance of luck, a stroke of fortune, a twist to beat the odds… The lottery represents hopes and dreams—but not everyone's willing to wait for their lucky day. These criminals set out to rig the system through cons, theft, and even murder. Ash and Alaina stack up the ten most st ...  Show more

After the lottery’s winning numbers are drawn at the annual Bark Street Lottery, the search is on for the winning ticket that mysteriously vanished from Wheeler’s Gadget Shack. Fair fortune awaits whoever finds the winning ticket!