The astonishing variety of street trees in Hackney, London

Hackney has a more diverse population of trees than any borough in London. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

An Agoraphobic Traveler Wanders the Earth

When anxiety set boundaries on her life, this adventurer found solace and excitement in Google Street View. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Why Are NYPD Cruisers Playing the Ice Cream Truck Jingle?

The melody occupies a niche space at the intersection of ice cream, entertainment, and Black history. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Sold: Isaac Newton’s Notes About the Bubonic Plague

His scribbles—which mention the curative power of toad vomit—sold for $81,000. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

With Musical Cryptography, Composers Can Hide Messages in Their Melodies

By mapping notes to letters, some musicians sneak secret words into tunes. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

What a Buried Crater in Mexico Says About the Asteroid That Doomed the Dinosaurs

And why the scars left by meteoritic impacts tell us about life, the universe, and everything. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The Utilitarian Pleasures of Playing Board Games by Yourself

It's a movement made for the moment. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Moniac (Monetary National Income Analogue Computer) Machine – Atlas Obscura

A strange machine made to evaluate the world economy using water and lots of tubes. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

How the ‘Sunset Route’ Railroad Helped Diversify California

The connection between New Orleans to Los Angeles can still be felt today. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The 1700s Quaker Dwarf Who Challenged Slavery, Meat-Eating, & Racism (2017)

Benjamin Lay is not to be overlooked. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

What It’s Like to Build a Traditional Japanese Automaton from Scratch

All you need is a good imagination. And a whole lot of patience. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Westinghouse Atom Smasher: Icon of the Atomic Age Lays Dormant

This icon of the Atomic Age now lays dormant. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Ice Wine

Pressed from frozen grapes, this prized wine was a sweet accident. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Tips for Responsible Drinking, from 16th-Century Germany

The writer was concerned about the rise of binge-drinking bros. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

What Is It Like to Be a Bee?

A philosophical and neurobiological look into the apian mind. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Cartographic Puzzles Are Poised for a Comeback

When nothing in the world seems to fit together, “dissected maps” offer a cognitive balm. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Vast Photo Archive Is Hidden Inside a Cold, Heavily Guarded Limestone Mine

Over 11 million Getty images are on ice near Pittsburgh. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

A Photographer Recreated Outdoor Adventures with Household Stuff

Think of it as the Great Indoors. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Close-Up Glamour Shots Are Generating Buzz for Bees (2018)

The pictures were taken for science, but found a wider audience because they're gorgeous and a little trippy. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Discovery Island – Orlando, Florida – Atlas Obscura

Disney's abandoned animal island is now an overgrown ruin that was almost the coolest attraction ever. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

How Coronavirus Put an Ancient Flour Mill Back to Work

“You can hear the creaks, smell the grain—you really feel the age of it.” | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Libraries You Can Explore from Your Living Room

You can almost smell the old books. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

A Famous Drag Queen, a Mummy in the Closet, and a Baffling Mystery

Sequined gowns weren't the only thing stashed in Dorian Corey's wardrobe. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The Ghost Airline That Has Linked Cairo and Tel Aviv for Decades

Air Sinai is shrouded in mystery. But why? | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

America’s Botanic Gardens Are Growing Without Visitors

Watering and weeding can't wait until the pandemic has passed. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The Mystery of a Medieval Blue Ink Has Been Solved

Turns out it was hiding in plain sight by the side of a Portuguese road. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The U.S.S.R.’s Hottest Collectibles Are All over eBay and Instagram

“Here was a piece of history that you could pin to your lapel." | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Did the Utopian Pirate Nation of Libertatia Ever Exist? (2015)

For twenty-odd years during the 17th century, on the coast of Madagascar, there was a democratic colony comprised of surprisingly noble pirates who lived... | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Social Distancing Is Bringing Drive-In Theaters Back to Life

You can't Netflix and chill ALL the time. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Even More Ways to Help Librarians and Archivists from Home

As long as we're all cooped-up, here are six digital projects that could use your curiosity. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

A Globemaker Navigates a Digital World

“It’s kind of a joke, but in some sense, I almost feel like I could start a war.” | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Historic Dishes Born from Tough Times That You Can Make at Home

Use every last crumb with these feats of culinary creativity. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Blenheim Ginger Ale

This South Carolina soda packs serious heat. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

An Ancient Ballcourt in Oaxaca Expands a Sport’s Footprint

3,000 years before the Aztecs, Mesoamericans were already playing ball. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The Intrepid Mother and Son Who Unraveled a Geographic Hoax

Atlas Obscura had a page for something called Moose Boulder, until fan Roger Dickey called us on it. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

How to Help Librarians and Archivists from Your Living Room

If you're cooped-up and curious, use your free time to decipher handwriting, tag images, and more. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The Oregon Creamery Making Vodka from Milk

“It's a tribute to the cows.” | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The Most Toxic Plant in North America

"Those who eat it will die in two hours." | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The Overlooked Wonders of Soviet-Era Industrial Design

Space-themed vacuum cleaners, and more. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Soviet Science Magazines Fantasized About Life in Outer Space

The Iron Curtain went to infinity and beyond. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The Republic of Venice Died in 1797. Now You Can Visit It

Meet Giovanni Vale, your travel guide to countries that no longer exist. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The 19th-Century Night Soil Men Who Carted Away America’s Waste

Cities used to be literally full of crap. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

What’s the Most Striking Image of Earth?

NASA's Earth Observatory wants your help finding hidden gems in its vast archives. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Why a 272-Year-Old Philosopher Just Got Carted Across a College Quad

A new home for Jeremy Bentham’s old bones is prompting a philosophical debate. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The Utah Noodle Parlor That’s Seemingly All over ‘Blade Runner’ (2018)

Its neon dragon sign is beloved by science fiction fans and a small city. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

In Kaua‘I, Botanists Rediscover an Extinct Plant Once Mistaken for Another

Just another day in Hawaiian conservation. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

The Cozy Rooms

A statue of the owner stands outside of this museum, once the most popular brothel in town. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago

Once classified U-2 photos reveal ancient historical settlements

Traces from the ancient past are hidden in photographs from the Cold War. | Continue reading


@atlasobscura.com | 4 years ago