Author: Ms. R.

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. Fighting for Wildlife in a Time of War by Adam Robertson Charlton, Hakai Magazine The Danube Delta is one of Europe’s most important ecosystems: a rich habitat, sparsely populated by humans that stretches across Romania, Moldova, and……

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The Seven Troughs District, toward the south end of the range of the same name, includes a number of mining camps: Tunnel Camp, Vernon, Mazuma, and Seven Troughs itself, all dating from Nevada’s early 20th-century mining boom. Of these, the best preserved by far is Tunnel Camp. Tunnel Camp’s unusual name reflected its purpose: the plan was to bore a tunnel into the range from the east so that the mines could be drained. The project was unsuccessful, however…….

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As we move into the deepest part of winter, the team at Gastro Obscura is reflecting on warmer times. And nothing says warm weather like refreshing, summery fruit, a topic that we kept coming back to in 2023. This year, we highlighted peaches, citrons, Meyer lemons, and squash (which totally counts as a fruit)—not to mention Atlas Obscura’s story about early summer’s “strawberry moon.” From historic recipes to present-day curiosities, here are our favorite stories of the year that……

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This 60-foot-long piece by artist Dennis Reynolds is made from 2,500 pounds of scrap industrial and agricultural items sourced from local junkyards and is also a functional gate. It sits next to the Metro Waste Authority building, which commissioned it to commemorate its 50th anniversary and to signify its mission of conserving resources….

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Constructed as a monument to former Iowa Governor Robert D Ray’s humanitarian work, leading the charge to bring many Laotian Tai Dam refugees to Iowa and sending aid to Cambodia. The garden forms part of the Des Moines River walkway. The site contains many statues, memorials, and a large pavilion surrounded by gardens….

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Along with the Great Buddha of Kōtoku-in, the Tsurugaoka Hachimangū shrine complex is a top tourist spot in the city of Kamakura, which can be approached from Wakamiya-ōji and Komachi-dōri, a pair of major shopping streets lined with countless shops and restaurants and always bustling with tourists. Standing on the side of Wakamiya Avenue is an unassuming tourist information center dubbed “M’s Ark,” established in 2017. Its main attractions are a pay restroom and a souvenir shop, nothing fancy,……

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Sure, you can head to a used bookstore to take in a little pulp fiction. But if you’re looking for pulp facts, your best bet is to head to Boréalis, a riverfront museum in Trois-Rivières, Québec dedicated to the history of Canada’s pulp and paper industry. Boréalis is located at the mouth of the Saint-Maurice River on the grounds of what was once the largest paper mill in the world. During the early 20th century, sawmills began to pop……

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From female stunt bikers in India to competitive stone skimming competitions in London, surfers braving the frigid Great Lakes to a rugby-playing astronaut, these athletes are anything but average. This year, Atlas Obscura covered celebrity sport obsessions, extreme athletes, downright weird sports, and obscure competitions from around the world. Here are some of our favorite sporty stories of 2023. You probably won’t want to try these at home. Passing on the Olympics to Go to Space by Jessica Watkins……

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On a clear, bright morning in September 2023, a spacecraft landed at a military site in Utah—and humanity’s representatives burst into laughter, tears, and applause. It may not have seemed like it to most of us, but at that very moment, our species got a little closer at that moment to finding out the provenance of eggnog. And mulled wine. And, well, pretty much everything. Minutes after the spacecraft gently rendezvoused with the planet, helicopters flew out to greet……

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Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we explore how specific smells have been linked to specific geographies, cultures, and mythologies for thousands of years. Today, we hear from Saskia Wilson-Brown about fragrance, power, and the power of scent. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and along……

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