This is 99% invisible.

I'm Roman Mars.

This is part 2 of the 2019 2020 mini stories episodes

where I interview the staff about their favorite little stories from the built world that don't quite fill out an entire episode for whatever reason, but they are cool 99 p.I stories nonetheless.

We have centuries old bonds standard tunings mandated by international treaty,

abandoned mansions, and secret babies.

If you ever need a conversation starter, these many stories are our gift to you.

Stay with us. Up first is producer Joe Rosenberg.

Okay so Joe what do you have for me?

What I have for you Roman is a story that I have been sitting on for quite some time.

You know, it's one of those planet money pitches that I never sent to planet money.

I got a drawer full.

Yeah.

And it actually starts, I rather, my familiarity with it starts about five years ago when I was reading the news and I came across this weird little AP wire service item.

Yeah, weird AP wire service items are our specialty.

Yeah, exactly. And it was about this announcement. service items are our specialty. Exactly.

And it was about this announcement in Britain by George Osborne, the then Chancellor of the Exchequer

in the UK, that Britain was finally going to finish paying off its bonds from World War I.

Like a hundred years ago, World War I, not World War I,

Yes, bonds from the war to end all wars.

That's right.

Still counting the cost of the Great War,

...