Author: Ms. R.

On August 2, 1980, a neo-fascist terrorist group hid a time bomb at the BolognaBologna Centrale station, killing 85 people and wounding more than 200. It is one of the major incidents during the tumultuous Years of Lead, the period of social and political strife that lasted from the 1960s to the 1980s,  and arguably the very worst of these. Some time after this massacre, a subtle controversy occurred concerning the station’s clock. In a 2010 study, local people……

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This alliterative park in East Elmherst is unusual. It is littered with aviation guiding lights and cuts diagonally across several blocks before ending abruptly at the runway of LaGuardia Airport. The reason for these strange patches of park is none other that good old fashioned government regulation and a too-close airport. Because the property line of LaGuardia’s runway is so close to the nearby residential neighborhood in Queens, the airport’s landing lights extend out into the neighborhood next door…….

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With works such as Ciudad Juárez’s X and the Guerrero Chimalli, the sculptor known as Sebastián (real name Enrique Carbajal) is considered the go-to figure for massive, government-funded public artworks in Mexico. A majority of these are monochrome abstract figures—often red—and La Gran Puerta de México is no exception. The Northern city of Matamoros, opposite the border from Brownsville, Texas, is the country’s easternmost northern border crossing. As such, it can be considered a gateway into Mexico, so it makes……

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Picture, for a moment, Kamala Harris cleaning up a territory known for horse thieves and train bandits, Elizabeth Warren boosting the treasury tenfold, and Amy Klobuchar squaring off against her own husband in an election. Now imagine all these women running on a ticket together, throw in two more of your favorite female politicos, then pop the bubbly (or mountain moonshine) for their blowout victory. That’s essentially what happened, on a much smaller scale, a century ago in Jackson,……

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This year is the 100th anniversary of America going dry. In 1920, some 1,300 breweries in the United States faced the onset of nationwide Prohibition—a ban on alcohol sales that many expected to be repealed quickly, but instead lasted until 1933. When it ended, less than a quarter of those breweries remained in operation, and, although new brewers opened up shop, many of the survivors failed in the following years, while the rest were absorbed by major manufacturers like……

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In the middle of a verdant park lie the scattered remains of a once grand Georgian manor. After the manor house was destroyed in a fire in the 1950s, only the outline of the walls and foundations remain to hold the history of Irwell House. The house was built in 1790 by the local industrialist Peter Drinkwater , who would go on to become the Lord of the Manor of Prestwich. Irwell House’s grounds covered many acres of rural land……

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Since ancient Roman times, the thermal springs of Wiesbaden have attracted people interested in the purported healing qualities of a hot mineral bath. As the town grew into a major spa destination in the 1700s, its wealthy visitors sought other forms of entertainment, and facilities appeared nearby for theater, music, and, above all, gambling. The first regulated card games were licensed in 1771. By 1810, Wiesbaden boasted a monumental spa-house to accommodate its bathers and gamblers. A stream of……

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Between the towns of Itri and Fondi, in southern Lazio, the valley of Sant’Andrea provided a natural passage through the harsh and wild Aurunci Mountains, now a protected area. In this valley you can find the remains of a section the original route of the Via Appia Antica. Consul Cladius Appius Caecus built the famous Roman road in 312 B.C., connecting Rome with Brindisi, on the southeastern Italian coast. One of the best preserved stretches of the Appia Antica……

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With gyms, pools, and spin studios around the world temporarily shuttered, it can be hard to find ways to exercise the way we used to. Atlas Obscura is taking this time to look back at different groups from history, to see what lessons they might have for working out in ways that help us maintain social distance. If you were trying to get ahead in 15th-century France, being a renowned warrior was a pretty good way to do it…….

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