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99% Invisible · March 3, 2026 · 47m 12s

Where the F*** Are We?

99% Invisible explores the centuries-long challenge of determining longitude at sea, a problem that caused countless shipwrecks and stumped the world's greatest minds, until an obsessive underdog arrived with a novel solution that changed navigation forever.

This summary was generated from show notes and public descriptions, not from a full transcript review. Details may contain inaccuracies.

Highlights

The Deadly Longitude Problem
For centuries, sailors couldn't accurately determine their east-west position at sea, leading to catastrophic shipwrecks and loss of life.
Centuries of Failed Attempts
The greatest minds of the age — Galileo, Newton, Halley — all tried and failed to solve the longitude problem.
The Obsessive Underdog
An unlikely outsider with no formal training eventually cracked the mystery with a radical approach.
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