Garfield the cat, one of the world's most recognizable and merchandisable comic strip characters, was brought to life by a rural Indiana cartoonist. From those humble origins, Garfield has grown into the world's most syndicated comic strip, running in thousands of newspapers for … | Continue reading
People familiar with the history of Rolls-Royce may know that the founders of the company, Charles Steward Rolls and Henry Royce, first met at the Midlands Hotel in central Manchester in 1904, and multiple commemorations at the hotel mark this event. However, far fewer people may … | Continue reading
A crimson archway appears on the face of a cliff as the Yokosuka Line train reaches Kita-Kamakura Station. Painted in exotic, Chinese style, the "gate" and the tunnel it leads into look somewhat out of place in the quaint neighborhood. Despite its recognizable appearance, few ven … | Continue reading
For 100 years, a group of mountaineers in Colorado Springs has been summiting Pikes Peak and setting off fireworks at the top. Fred and Ed Morath, Fred Barr, Harry Standley, and Willis McGee made that first explosive voyage in 1922. Many decades later, the AdAmAn Club carries on … | Continue reading
Brooke Husic and Natan Last, two of today’s most prolific and influential crossword constructors and editors, are similar in many ways: both are Brooklyn-based, both love the Knicks, both are (unsurprisingly) ringers at trivia nights. They’re part of the in-house constructing tea … | Continue reading
Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, telescope tourist, rocket scientist, and STEAM educator Summer Ash gives us the nitty gritty on the V.L.A., a 22-mile telescope in New Mexico whose … | Continue reading
Let’s get something out of the way: Mongolian barbecue is not Mongolian. Not even a little. It was invented in Taiwan in the early 1950s, based on Chinese cooking techniques and global ingredients, and given the name almost at random. For the small but growing population of Mongo … | Continue reading
The Church of San Michele, completed in 1727, is a sanctuary of Neapolitan Baroque art. The altar is an elaborate marble structure crafted by Agostino Chirola, and above it is a dramatic depiction of St. Michael the Archangel by Nicola Malinconico. But the most striking feature o … | Continue reading
In the 1983 classic A Christmas Story, chaos breaks out in the family when Mr. Parker, the narrator's father, receives an enormous lamp fashioned to look like a fishnet-clad leg balanced on a stiletto. More than a generation later, in November 2022, the small town of Chickasha, O … | Continue reading
Stellafane is the home of the Springfield Telescope Makers, the oldest and most active telescope-making club in the world. The club was founded by the brilliant polymath Russell W. Porter in 1920, and the pink clubhouse was built at this Vermont site in 1923. Porter suggested the … | Continue reading
Waters like blue cut glass, lush rainforest, a sweet paddle in the sun on a Sunday afternoon or more adventurous activities that involve holding your breath are all part of tropical north Queensland’s crater lakes, Lake Barrine and Lake Eacham. The lakes lie in Australia's Crater … | Continue reading
Early on May 13, 1988, jazz legend Chet Baker was found dead on the street in Amsterdam, right outside the Hotel Prins Hendrik where he had spent the night. There were heroin and cocaine in his room as well as in his body, and the death was ruled an accident; he must have fallen … | Continue reading
I imagine that exceedingly few people like to be unexpectedly jostled about by an earthquake. Whether you’re in an area known to be frequented by modestly powerful temblors, or whether you’re chilling out somewhere that isn’t especially prone to them—say, New York or New Jersey—i … | Continue reading
Willie Kennard wasn’t sure what to expect when he walked into the saloon across the street. He knew just two things: One, there was a wanted murderer inside. And, two, it was his job to arrest the man. The year was 1874. Kennard had just ridden into Yankee Hill, Colorado—a small … | Continue reading
A prominent figure of the French Revolution, Maximilien François Marie Isidore de Robespierre was born in Arras on May 6, 1758, into a small family of the judicial nobility. Orphaned at an early age, he then studied at the Oratorian college in the capital of Artois and later at t … | Continue reading
Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, CANADALAND host Jesse Brown introduces Dylan to a strange and decaying Quebecois fast food institution… housed inside a giant orange sphere. Today, … | Continue reading
While many in the United States marveled at the powerful aurora borealis in mid-May, scientists were watching the event anxiously and trying to work fast. They needed to notify a lot of people to hunker down and prepare for potential damage, even danger, that was coming. They had … | Continue reading
Established in 1836, Magnolia Cemetery is the final resting place of some 100,000 souls. Walking through the elaborate Victorian-era monuments is like getting a free entry into a sculpture museum. Then you come upon a monument with an Irish Setter watching over an intricately car … | Continue reading
Setagaya City is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, known for its serene greenery and upscale neighborhoods. Curiously, it is also a little exotic, with vaguely Indian-sounding place names such as Setagaya, Sangenjaya, and Yōga, the last of which has etymology that comes from … | Continue reading
In medieval Zürich, waste management meant that sewage, trash, and other unwanted materials were dumped into the small alleys, called ehgraben, behind the old town's houses. Some of that sewage was then flushed into the river, while the more coveted stuff, like urine for tanning … | Continue reading
Created in 1988 by Bertrand Chenu, the Musee de l'insolite (French for Museum of the Unusual) is a fantastic display of humoristic sculptures, paintings, and objects. The museum is as fascinating as it is surprising, and it is constantly expanding. From the artwork in the little … | Continue reading
On the outskirts of Tuzluca are the Tuz Mağarası, or the Tuzluca Salt Caves. Operating officially since 1923 but known since medieval times, the mines descend 885 feet underground, although the tourist section remains on ground level. Only very recently opened to the public, the … | Continue reading
Still standing in the heart of the city’s downtown, near Rossio Square and Figueira Square, Lisbon’s Church of St. Dominic has survived two earthquakes–one in 1531 and a more devastating quake in 1755–and a fire in the 20th century. Its foundations date back to the 13th century. … | Continue reading
Initially built during the Japanese colonial era as a military tunnel, Cijin Tunnel, also called the "Tunnel of Stars," is now known to locals in Kaohsiung, Taiwan for its psychedelic art. The tunnel's walls are painted with murals of sea life, and all along the walls and ceiling … | Continue reading
In the main building of Savitribai Phule Pune University, there is a curious museum recently opened for the public. It's dedicated to cartoon art and is said to be the first of its kind in the country. The museum highlights the importance of cartoons, illustrations, and satire in … | Continue reading
Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, host Dylan Thuras brings us to a remote island off the coast of Nova Scotia. On Sable Island, we learn how—against all odds—a group of beloved fera … | Continue reading
This story was originally published on The Conversation. It appears here under a Creative Commons license. If humans and mosquitoes had a battle at the end of the world, who would win? That’s the question I pose to 30 young kids each summer during a two-week camp called “Mosquito … | Continue reading
Summer is here and we are all for recapturing the vibe of the season from our childhoods, when school was out, the days were long and sunny, and the nights were perfect for campfires, storytelling, and s’mores. Of course, not everyone can head out to the nearest idyllic cabin bes … | Continue reading
THIS ARTICLE IS ADAPTED FROM THE MAY 25, 2024, EDITION OF GASTRO OBSCURA’S FAVORITE THINGS NEWSLETTER. YOU CAN SIGN UP HERE. Growing up in suburban Connecticut, my school’s cafeteria special was the same every Friday: cheesy breadsticks with tomato sauce for dipping. They were gr … | Continue reading
Khadki is a northern suburb of Pune. During the British Era, the area was known as Kirkee. It is here that a huge war cemetery is located, right alongside a bustling street. Kirkee War Cemetery holds the graves of 1,668 soldiers from World War II. Their graves were gathered here … | Continue reading
The Egyptian city of Alexandria is famed for its library, one of the Seven Wonders of the World that has been completely lost to fires and wars over the centuries. Among the greatest academic institutions of antiquity, it's purported to have been home to a collection of over 100, … | Continue reading
Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, CANADALAND host Jesse Brown tells Dylan the story of a Canadian man who adopted a black bear in the woods of Winnipeg—and how that bear became the … | Continue reading
Atlas Obscura's weekly crossword comes to us from creator Stella Zawistowski, a puzzlemaker who is also one of the fastest crossword solvers in America, with multiple top-10 finishes at the American Crossword Puzzle Tournament and a personal record for solving the New York Times … | Continue reading
Domestic cat bones around 8,000 years old have recently been found in both Serbia and Poland. This pushes back the arrival in Europe of one of humanity’s earliest companion animals by several thousands of years. Influx via Asia Minor Until recently, the thinking was that cats arr … | Continue reading
Steeped in Arthurian legend, Chalice Hill in Glastonbury offers a hidden oasis of beauty and historical intrigue. The heart of the site lies in the well, rumored to be the resting place of the Holy Grail. From this ancient well, water rich in iron content flows into a shallow poo … | Continue reading
Each week, Atlas Obscura is providing a new short excerpt from our upcoming book, Wild Life: An Explorer’s Guide to the World’s Living Wonders (September 17, 2024). At the end of Charlotte’s Web, Wilbur the pig is excited to befriend the offspring of his recently deceased spider … | Continue reading
The Zaníyaŋ Yutȟókča (Brave Change) art exhibit commemorates indigenous Dakota culture. It's located near the former site of Ḣeyate Otuŋwe (Village to the Side), a historical Dakota agricultural colony on the southeast shore. Stamps on the sidewalk depict and name images signific … | Continue reading
Outdoor swimming pools (or lidos) were popular in the United Kingdom between World Wars I and II, and quite a few were constructed around the country. However, one of the most unusual to be built was the lido in Jesus Green (a park named after nearby Jesus College) in Cambridge. … | Continue reading
Nestled behind the imposing Dazhong Temple crouches a nondescript, circular construction, roughly as tall as a person. Though it was at one point decorated with plastered-on Western-style art, this art has largely faded or peeled off, giving a ragged, abandoned feel. The few tour … | Continue reading
Wonder is everywhere. That’s why, every other week, Atlas Obscura drags you down some of the rabbit holes we encounter as we search for our unusual stories. We highlight surprising finds, great writing, and inspiring stories from some of our favorite publications. The Man Who Rac … | Continue reading
Constructed in the mid-1890s, Hungary’s national film theater Uránia is a breathtaking work of Art Nouveau architecture, combining Venetian Gothic elements with the Italian Renaissance into the crown jewel of Neo-Moorish style in Budapest. Originally an "orpheum," the theater was … | Continue reading
Coney Island was once a glittering star of the early 1900s. It was the Progressive Era, amusement parks were becoming enormously popular across America, and New York City’s version of roller coasters and carnival games seemed like the epitome of wholesome fun. But the beachy ente … | Continue reading
In the medina of Casablanca, just a stone’s throw away from the more famous Rick’s Cafe, stands La Sqala. A traditional Moroccan restaurant established circa 2001, it has since grown popular among the local Casablancais and tourists alike. In addition to its quintessential Morocc … | Continue reading
Japan is known for its affinity with unique manhole covers, often decorated with local motifs or popular characters, contributing to a boost in tourism. The Pokémon franchise is no exception to this trend, with the “Poké Lids” project launched in 2019. Most of the Poké Lids are f … | Continue reading
Built when the Clark Freeport Zone was still a U.S. military air base, the K-9 Cemetery is a memorial for military police dogs that served alongside the military officers. 284 headstones bearing the names and identification numbers of each dog are arranged in rows surrounded by a … | Continue reading
A silent witness to the evolution of religious life and architectural prowess, Leiston Abbey was a religious house dedicated to St Mary and home to Canons Regular following the Premonstratensian rule. Founded by the Chief Justiciar to King Henry II Ranulf de Glanville, St. Mary d … | Continue reading
“There are so many bagel shops right now,” says Shanghai-based food writer and photographer Rachel Gouk. “We only had maybe two bagel shops for the past ten years, and all of a sudden they're everywhere.” In 2023, Gouk wrote about her trip to New York Bagelous Museum, a Shanghai … | Continue reading
If America is truly the Land of Liberty, then one of the best demonstrations of that virtue can be found in a roadside park along a barren stretch of Highway 281 near the town of Harlan, Kansas. Here, a miniature version of the Statue of Liberty, rising nearly 8 ½ feet tall, stan … | Continue reading