The story goes that W.C. Handy, later known as the Father of the Blues, was under contract in Clarksdale and traveling through the Mississippi Delta when he encountered a mysterious man at Tutwiler train station. In his autobiography, Handy writes, “His clothes were rags; his fee … | Continue reading

The Namamugi incident of September 14, 1862, is a political crisis mentioned by every history textbook in Japan. It occurred during the final years of the Tokugawa shogunate and changed the course of Japanese history thereafter, heralding the arrival of the modernization. Shimazu … | Continue reading

The musicians by the entrance have names like Maestro, Smokehouse, King Solomon, and Kevin. Just outside, Henry Turner Jr. presides over the scene, greeting guests while preparing fish and okra for the night’s crowd. There’s a fish fry every Friday night—hot sauce on every table, … | Continue reading

The pottery studio sits hidden in leafy foliage on a small side street in a small town just north of Cleveland. It’s unassuming and reserved, an oasis masked in plain sight. Inside, vases, serving plates, light fixtures, hanging baskets, and other items adorn every spare inch of … | Continue reading

Vera Warren-Williams, known affectionately as Mama Vera, holds court from behind the counter at Community Book Center on Bayou Road in New Orleans. Through the early afternoon, a steady stream of customers flows in, browsing books by Toni Morrison and Zora Neale Hurston, along wi … | Continue reading

When Roger Stolle moved to Clarksdale in 2002, he came with a mission: “To circle the wagons, to mount a defense, to help the last generation of cotton-farming, mule-driving, juke-joint playing bluesmen deeply inhale the final breath of this amazing tradition we call Delta blues. … | Continue reading

Once upon a time in the rustic village of Ōji, in the suburbs of Edo—present-day Tokyo—stood a tall tree known as Shōzoku Enoki, or the "Garment Hackberry." It was so named due to a well-known local legend: it was said that foxes from all across the Kantō region would gather here … | Continue reading

Xianjiyan, or the Rock of Deity’s Footprint, is a a wooded mountain that offers impressive views, lush trails, rich biodiversity, and numerous legends. Officially known as Mt. Jingmei (or Mt. Xizikou), the hill is named after a peculiar rock resting on a wooden platform near its … | Continue reading

In 1922, the discovery of King Tutankhamun's tomb captured imaginations all over the world and fueled a revival of architecture inspired by ancient Egypt. Even the potato farmers in Idaho got swept up in the excitement, as evidenced by the Egyptian Theatre in Boise, Idaho. Opened … | Continue reading

The reign of Alexander the Great (336-323 BC) marked a golden age for the city of Magnesia. Located in the middle of the triangle of Ephesus, Prynne, and Tralleis in Ionia, this site was a significant commercial and strategic location on the roads that connected these three major … | Continue reading

The pair of earthenware comal griddles fueled by smoldering oak coals at Tacos del Carmen are beautiful things, weathered by use and white from curing with lime powder. They impart a unique earthy smokiness to this street stand’s quesadillas, empanadas, and tacos. That primeval f … | Continue reading

Since early history spring water was considered to have healing properties, with many locations in Scotland becoming famous for their healing or holy wells. Brow Well is a chalybeate spring that flows with naturally iron-salt-rich water. This water was believed to cure a whole ho … | Continue reading

Located a few miles off of the main highway, near Oakville, Alabama, is a small but comprehensive museum dedicated to the greatest track and field athlete of all time, Jesse Owens. Owens, born in Oakville in 1913, became world-famous after winning four gold medals at the 1936 Ber … | Continue reading

Japan once had a historical period known as the Kofun period, circa 300–538 AD, which is marked by the popularity of burial mounds throughout the country. Many of them have been lost in time, abandoned and buried deep in history. At some later point, in western Japan—around today … | Continue reading

Bellevue Theater was built in 1933 in the burgeoning district of Paco, Manila. Spanish architect Abelardo Lafuente y Garcia-Rojo Jr. designed it for Dr. Jose Eduque, a University of the Philippines professor and the chief surgeon at the nearby Philippine General Hospital. Dr. Edu … | Continue reading

Located in the Belle Grove Historic District, this beautifully restored, Italianate-style mansion—one of the oldest homes in Fort Smith—serves as a house museum and event venue. Part of the house’s structure was built in 1852 by a wealthy landowner named Sutton. When the Civil Wa … | Continue reading

That Pathum, “Stupa of the Great Lotus," is a large, Singhalese-style stupa commissioned by Queen Phan Tew Xieng in 1514. Standing at 35 meters tall, it is the only stupa of its kind in all of Laos. The stupa, also known as That Makmo—meaning “Watermelon Stupa”—earned its nicknam … | Continue reading

This bridge—known both as Barkers Creek Swinging Bridge and Tuckasegee Swinging Bridge—is one of the few remaining examples of a crude swinging bridge built to provide pedestrian access to remote areas in the Appalachian mountains. Many in the region were built using parts from o … | Continue reading

Beans are the unsung heroes of Oaxacan cuisine, grown together with different squashes and corn on a milpa, the traditional intercropped plot. Stewed with avocado leaves or epazote and served over rice, filling tamales or tortas or topping tlayudas, they are indispensable but rar … | Continue reading

In 1978, Jose ‘Pitok’ Blanco, a renowned Angono born muralist, and his six children held an art exhibit at the National Museum of the Philippines in Manila. Two years later, the family opened the Blanco Family Museum. Eventually, their seventh child became an artist, and Pitok’s … | Continue reading

During British colonialism, Mumbai (then Bombay) was a walled, fortified city with three gates: Bazaar Gate, Church Gate, and Apollo Gate. In time, the city grew beyond its walls. To accommodate this expansion, the walls were demolished sometime in the mid to late 19th century. A … | Continue reading

Ikebukuro is a bustling neighborhood in northern Tokyo, known as a major shopping hub and nightlife district. Somewhat sketchy at times, the area has been hit by a number of tragic incidents throughout its history, including the knifer rampage of 1999 and the runaway car crash of … | Continue reading

Nestled in the rolling hills of Huntington, West Virginia, lies the Heritage Farm Museum & Village, a replica Appalachian town that seeks to whisk you away to a time before 21st-century technology. First opened in 1996, the farm has grown exponentially. Visitors can tour an opera … | Continue reading

The Galteshwar Mahadev Temple is a revered 12th-century Shiva temple located near Dakor, Gujarat. Medieval stone carvers intricately sculpted the temple's square sanctum, octagonal mandapa (hall), and shikhara (spire). The spectacular shikhara features a stepped tower and exempla … | Continue reading

Just east of Oxford, England, next to the busy Ring Road is a wooded area popular with local dog walkers. However, a strange series of paved roads and paths crisscross the forest here. And, if one looks closely at the undergrowth, they can see the remains of some buildings, mostl … | Continue reading

Behind the classically Oaxacan electric-blue façade of Bodaega lies a little Nordic world of blond wood, earth walls, and a display of flaky pastries and burnished sourdough loaves. Yet the owner, Oaxacan chef Rafael Villalobos who spent three years studying baking in Copenhagen … | Continue reading

When Alfonsina opened in 2018 in the family home of chef Jorge León and his mom Doña Elvia, it had all the ingredients of an underground indie hit: no website, no menu, and a Google Maps-defying address in the suburb of San Juan Batista La Raya near the airport. Once your taxi dr … | Continue reading

The jewelry business has long been part of the Alaskan economy, since the gold rush there over a century ago. In 1897, Herman Kirmse was one of several entrepreneurs who opened a jewelry and watch store in Skagway in southeastern Alaska. Kirmse decided the best way to advertise w … | Continue reading

Set among Communist-era housing blocks, just north of Elbląg's city center, the Church of Our Lady Queen of Poland (Parafia Matki Bożej Królowej Polski) makes a dramatic impression. With its dark façade and tall, jagged towers, the church looks less like a place of worship and mo … | Continue reading

Just 2.5 miles from Salamanca is a colossal Brutalist building. Made of concrete, the giant geometric structure is a monument to the sculptor Ángel Mateos. Inside, the site displays his work, which is also made completely of concrete. The Ángel Mateos Museum was conceived by the … | Continue reading

Despite being known as the father of Brazilian paleontology and archaeology, Peter Wilhelm Lund was originally from Denmark. After completing his studies at the University of Copenhagen, a tuberculosis-stricken Lund immigrated to Brazil in the 1820s to recover in the warm climate … | Continue reading

Hotel Moskva in Belgrade is one of the city's most well-known landmarks. Located in the city center, it has been a symbol of Serbia's artistic contribution dating back to 1908. The hotel was designed by architect Jovan Ilkić and, with its colorful Russian secession/art nouveau ae … | Continue reading

Tucked between classrooms and coffee-fueled study sessions, a massive concrete slab stands outside Kennesaw State University’s Social Sciences building. This 10-foot-tall, 2.7-ton piece of the Berlin Wall once served as a brutal barrier between East and West Germany. Today, it re … | Continue reading

As an enterprising teenager growing up in San Mateo Yucutindoo (population 2,500) in Oaxaca’s remote Sierra Sur region, Thalía Barrios García financed her first bakery by peddling goods she’d buy in bigger cities to locals. As a culinary school student, she almost got expelled fo … | Continue reading

Chef-owner Olga Cabrera Oropeza hails from the provincial town of Huajuapan de Leon in Mixteca, the rugged northwestern region shared by Oaxaca and the states of Puebla and Guerrero. She grew up with the sweet smell of pulque-leavened breads made by her mom, a renowned local bake … | Continue reading

While "the old woman who lived in a shoe" might only exist in a nursery rhyme, there are a surprising number of very real, gigantic versions of footwear scattered around the globe. These mega-shoes range in function from a wedding venue to an ice cream shop. This particular one, … | Continue reading