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Contains prolonged violence.

News imageA History of the United States in 100 Objects, A History of the United States in 100 Objects, 100 Objects #6: “Sharpened Screwdriver”

A History of the United States in 100 Objects

A History of the United States in 100 Objects

100 Objects #6: “Sharpened Screwdriver”

26 June 2026

Available for over a year

How was a household tool reimagined as a deadly weapon…that never actually existed?

In this episode, Roman and historians Heather Ann Thompson and Elliot Williams tell the story of the sharpened screwdriver: the object at the heart of the 1984 Bernhard Goetz subway shooting. In a difficult moment in New York City, four Black teenagers were transformed in the public imagination into armed criminals. What follows is a gripping account of how misinformation takes hold, how fear shapes public opinion, and how one narrative can ripple outward – echoing through decades of similar cases that continue to unfold today.

Host: Roman Mars

Producers: Priscilla Alabi, Brenna Daldorph, Isaac Fisher, Ellie Lightfoot

EPs: Annie Brown, Courtney Harrell, Kathy Tu