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100 Objects #1: The Century Safe

A locked iron safe, sealed for 100 years. What objects did Americans choose to remember?

100 Objects #1: The Century Safe

In 1876, Americans filled an iron safe with objects meant to tell their story — to be opened a century later. Roman Mars and historian Jill Lepore trace its long wait, from Reconstruction to Watergate, and the surprising, unsettling contents that emerged in 1976. What do the objects we choose to preserve — or forget — reveal about how we author our own history?

Host: Roman Mars
Producers: Priscilla Alabi, Brenna Daldorph, Isaac Fisher, Ellie Lightfoot
EPs: Annie Brown, Courtney Harrell, Kathy Tu

27 minutes

On radio

Monday 04:32
BBC World Service

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100 Objects #2: 60-Degree Screw

See all episodes from A History Of The United States In 100 Objects

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