Moffett Field Historical Society Museum in Mountain View, California

Aviation has been practiced in California since the early 20th century. However, this was not just airplanes but also a strong lighter-than-air division consisting of various types of blimps. The largest of these were the USS Arkon and Macon, a pair of nearly 800-foot-long flying … | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 1 year ago

The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum in Washington, D.C.

One of the many hidden treasures on the urban campus of George Washington University is the multilevel, multifaceted Textile Museum. It includes three floors of textiles from different parts of the world, as well as a gift shop and an interactive textile lab. Exhibits include dif … | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 1 year ago

Triple Falls in Jasper, Arkansas

This ain't just one waterfall. It ain't even two waterfalls, but three waterfalls,  all pouring off the same 48-foot-tall bluff.  Now some say it's just two waterfalls, on account of there only being two water sources, but the wet season brings the triple fall effect. The falls a … | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 1 year ago

House of Wills in Cleveland, Ohio

This 124-year-old, 50,000-square-foot Gothic-style building only showcases a small part of Cleveland's rich and diverse history. Built in 1898 and opened in 1900, the 42-room structure originally served as a clubhouse for the German Society where the Cleveland Gesangverein, a sin … | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 1 year ago

Meet the Blacksmith Resurrecting Greek History

In a quiet suburb of Athens, the sound of a hammer breaks the silence as it meets heated sheets of bronze. Inside a small garage turned into a workshop, blacksmith and artist Dimitrios Katsikis has spent the past 12 years designing and forging. He transforms the malleable metal b … | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 1 year ago

'All Greatness Stands Firm in the Storm' in Glasgow, Scotland

There is a saying, "Glasgow made the Clyde and the Clyde made Glasgow." Scotland's largest city owes its prosperity and affluence to this body of water which is the third longest in the country and ninth longest in the United Kingdom. It runs an impressive length of 106 miles (17 … | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 1 year ago

Dimnice Cave in Markovščina, Slovenia

The Dimnice Cave is spectacular enough on its own. A vertical cave mouth opens up from the earth with a railed path spiraling tens of meters down from the forest above. Once past the locked gate, your guide leads you into a largely unspoiled natural karst cave system. Here you'll … | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 1 year ago

Brier Hill Pizza

It’s before dawn on a Saturday at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Youngstown, and the smell of red peppers hangs heavy in the air. For decades, a group of volunteers have worked here to keep a beloved tradition alive: making Brier Hill pizzas. The Brier Hill neighborhood, … | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 1 year ago

Getting to Know Edward Gorey

A visit to the home museum of the famous oddball artist, 30 years after meeting him there for tea. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The Strange, Awful Truth Behind Utah's Eerie Stone Cross

It's more bizarre than the urban legends. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Lost Ancient Grain Tradition Could Be Future of Farming: Mixed-Grain Maslins

A past global staple you've never heard of, maslins are poised for a comeback. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Real-Life Vampire Autopsies of the Victorian Era

When medicine and folklore collide, strange things happen. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The Spooky Science of Why Mirrors Can Freak Us Out So Much

We reflect on what these shiny surfaces reveal, from the curse of Narcissus to an experiment you can try at home—if you dare. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Get Lost in the Catacombs with Our Latest Maze

A new, Paris-inspired challenge from a record-holding maze-maker. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

In Jordan, an Ancient Bread Tradition Rises Again

Al Barakeh Wheat Project resurrects the nation's heritage grain and, with it, a bygone communal culture. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The Curious Case of Norway’s Demon Wall

A respected conservator restoring a centuries-old church mural saw the devil in the details—and created a wholly imagined, diabolical scene. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

On Restaurant Day in Helsinki, Anyone Can Open an Eatery, Anywhere

By making everything from ceviche to ice cream, city residents show off their cooking chops. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Leftover Star Wars Sets

Buildings from the fictional planet of Tatooine still litter the Tunisian desert. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The Hallucinogenic Fish That Can Give You LSD-Esque Nightmares (2016)

It gives new meaning to a "fishing trip." | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Fruit makes tattoos, antibiotics, and dessert: Jagua

Central and South Americans have relied on the versatile jagua fruit for centuries. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Can Science Solve the Mystery of the Concrete Book?

When a sledgehammer isn't really an option. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

What Can a Long-Forgotten Moth Tell Us About Climate Change?

The 149-year-old specimen is one of millions at Britain's Natural History Museum. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The main casualty of the catsup war was flavor. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Who Were the Warrior Women of Dahomey?

The only documented all-female army in history inspired the Dora Milaje. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

A High School Teacher Changed Early 20th-Century Insect Science

Systemic racism kept him from a position in higher education—but it didn't stop Charles Henry Turner from rewriting our understanding of bees, ants, and cockroaches. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

John Muir's Alarm Clock Desk

Before he was America’s most famous preservationist, John Muir was an ingenious mechanical inventor. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

A Farmer’s Hunch Led to a Lost Monastery and a Neolithic Surprise

The rediscovered medieval complex of Beaubec is unique in all of Ireland—and it's just the most recent layer of history unearthed in a humble pasture. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The Tombstone House – Petersburg, Virginia – Atlas Obscura

A home built with marble tombstones from the graves of 2,200 Union soldiers buried in a Virginia cemetery. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Why the Echidna Is Australia’s Most Delightfully Different Mammal

The evolutionary marvel mates in love trains, can swim in the ocean, and even uses jazz hands as a defensive tactic. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Keeping the Centuries-Old Tradition of Venetian Bookbinding Alive

Inspired by a 15th-century editor, Pablo Olbi pushes to keep this from being the last chapter. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Epic Systems has created one of the strangest and largest workplaces of all time

Software company Epic Systems has created one of the strangest and largest workplaces of all time. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The British Library Has a Vulgar Dictionary – You Can Learn a Lot from Slang

You can learn a lot from slang. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The Return of Swiss Cheese Baths

Melting into a tub of whey has a long history in the Alps. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

For Centuries, English Bakers’ Biggest Customers Were Horses

A crusty, dense bread got the country's hardworking equines through long days. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The Last Public Payphone Kiosk on the Streets of New York

How the once-ubiquitous convenience became a rare museum piece. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Why the Japanese Calendar Is Full of Unofficial Food Holidays

A linguistic quirk created both Banana Day and Strawberry Day. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

What’s the Biggest Bird in the World?

From a flightless giant heavier than a polar bear to a super-glider with a 24-foot wingspan, avians ancient and modern compete for the crown. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The Toughest Mountain Bike Race in the World

In Kyrgyzstan, determined riders persevere through blizzards, lack of sleep, and disintegrating shoes. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

A World Tour of Abandoned Amusement Parks

The fun and rides stopped, but the memories linger. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

What Should Be Done with India’s ‘Man-Eating’ Tigers?

As deadly encounters increase, farmers, urbanites, and authorities disagree on how to handle big cats gone bad. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The World War II Frogmen Who Trained in Secret Off the California Coast

Recruits learned the arts of infiltration, sabotage, and survival at a hidden base on Santa Catalina Island. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Taiyo No Tamago

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@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The Woman Who Climbed Every One of Pittsburgh’s 739 Public Staircases

To explore her adopted hometown, Laura Zurowski took things step by step on the hilly city's historic routes. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

How Pearl Meat Became Australia’s Newest Luxury Ingredient

Once humble divers' fare, the meat of the pearl oyster now commands up to $200 per kilo. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Why Is Wine (Almost) Always Made from Grapes?

On the merits of blueberry, cherry, and pumpkin wine. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

Tagging Along with Italy’s Unexploded Bomb–Hunters

There's less and less for the country's demining companies to find. Sometimes they pine for the good old days. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

The Beautiful Network of Ancient Roman Roads (2015)

In today's terms, it's hard to fathom how much of the world the Romans once controlled. At its peak, the Roman Empire spanned from Hadrian's Wall in Scotland... | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago

In Iceland, Cats Face Curfews and Bans Aimed at Curtailing Their Murderous Ways

The cat-loving island nation is redefining its relationship with the 'elegant assassins.' | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 2 years ago