Atomic Tattoos
99% Invisible16 Jan 2019

Atomic Tattoos

In the early 1950s, teenage students in Lake County, Indiana, got up from their desks, marched down the halls and lined up at stations. There, fingers were pricked, blood was tested and the teenagers were sent on to the library, where they waited to get a specialized tattoo. Each one was in the same place on the torso, just under the left arm, and spelled out the blood type of the student.

This experimental program was called Operation Tat-Type. It was administered by the county and the idea was simple: to make it easier to transfuse blood after an atomic bomb. At the age of 16, producer Liza Yeager's grandmother, who went to school in Lake County, was permanently marked in anticipation of a nuclear catastrophe.

Atomic Tattoos

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 company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Episoder(780)

Freedom House Ambulance Service: American Sirens

Freedom House Ambulance Service: American Sirens

When people ask me what my favorite episode of 99% Invisible is, I have a hard time answering. Not because they’re all my precious little babies or some such nonsense, but mostly it’s because I just c...

16 Nov 202245min

Train Set: Track Two

Train Set: Track Two

Funiculars are great, which is why the main image from our previous train episode featured one -- except we didn't actually talk about that one during the show. It's a cable car from Wellington, and a...

9 Nov 202232min

Articles of Interest: American Ivy

Articles of Interest: American Ivy

Articles of Interest is a show about what we wear. Host and producer Avery Trufelman investigates our collectively held beliefs about fashion and explores topics like the intellectual property law beh...

2 Nov 202237min

The Safety Bicycle

The Safety Bicycle

The basic mechanics of the bike are pretty simple --- it’s basically a triangle with wheels and a chain drive to propel it forward. No batteries or engines. It seems obvious in hindsight .... And that...

25 Okt 202233min

Walk of Fame

Walk of Fame

Even if you haven't made the pilgrimage to Southern California, you can probably already picture what the Walk of Fame looks like. It's a 1.3 mile walkway lined with terrazzo and brass squares. Each s...

18 Okt 202247min

Vuvuzela

Vuvuzela

The vuvuzela is a two foot long injection-molded plastic horn. It only plays one note: a B flat. And it gradually became a regular feature of South African soccer. But prior to the 2010 World Cup, the...

11 Okt 202232min

Wickedest Sound

Wickedest Sound

Jamaica is famous around the world for its music, including genres like ska, dub, and reggae. It’s tempting to think that the powerful amplifiers and giant speakers at the dance parties were designed ...

4 Okt 202242min

Tale of the Jackalope

Tale of the Jackalope

The magical mythical "jackalope" is a essentially a horned rabbit, with antlers of different sizes and shapes. The jackalope is a mascot of the American West – inspiring an absolute river of trinkets ...

28 Sep 202234min

Populært innen Business og økonomi

stopp-verden
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
dine-penger-pengeradet
rss-penger-polser-og-politikk
e24-podden
rss-borsmorgen-okonominyhetene
livet-pa-veien-med-jan-erik-larssen
finansredaksjonen
utbytte
pengepodden-2
pengesnakk
tid-er-penger-en-podcast-med-peter-warren
rss-sunn-okonomi
morgenkaffen-med-finansavisen
lederpodden
lederskap-nhhs-podkast-om-ledelse
rss-politisk-preik
rss-investering-gjort-enkelt
rss-markedspuls-2
rss-andelige-tanker-med-camillo