© 2024 KALW 91.7 FM Bay Area
KALW Public Media / 91.7 FM Bay Area
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

The Hum heard 'round the world, explained

Ways To Subscribe
An image of the Worldwide Hum Map, a catalogue of reports of The Hum around the world.
The World Hum Map and Database
An image of the Worldwide Hum Map, a catalogue of reports of The Hum around the world.

The Golden Gate Bridge turns 87 next week, and today we have a story that started — for us — on that iconic bridge, with a low hum that was "born" in 2020. That tale led us to a much bigger story, which we bring you today. The Hum is a mysterious low pitch noise that is only heard by 2% of people worldwide. It's annoyed residents in San Francisco's Sunset District. So, in this story, we get to the bottom of this strange global phenomenon.