Author: Ms. R.

Atlas Obscura’s weekly crossword comes to us from Natan Last, a writer who also helps develop policy and digital products for refugees and asylum seekers. His work can be found in The Atlantic, Los Angeles Review of Books, The New Yorker, and other publications, and he’s currently working on a nonfiction book about crosswords. You can solve the puzzle below, or download it in .pdf or .puz. Note that the links in the clues will take you to Atlas……

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There are chocolates shaped like American F-16 fighter aircraft, anti-tank hedgehogs—the defensive obstacles that surround many Ukrainian cities—made of caramel, chocolate, almond praline and peanut butter, and croissants inspired by political leaders supporting Ukraine. These are all wartime dessert creations of the teams at Kyiv’s Honey Café and Zavertailo Bakery. Ukraine’s bakers, pastry-makers, and chocolatiers have turned to culinary works of art to raise money for their military. Not only that, but they hope to create moments of levity……

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Dear Indian Ocean, please don’t take offense, but: Why is your gravity hole so big? That question had been baffling scientists ever since the hole was discovered back in 1948. Now a team from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) thinks they have found the answer: The “hole” in the Indian Ocean is caused by fragments from the sunken floor of another, much older ocean. In a mysterious part of the Indian Ocean, the pull of gravity is much……

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As the historical home of Vietnamese civilization, northern Vietnam is also the birthplace of the country’s national dish: the noodle soup phở. While the origins of phở are highly debated, the dish is believed to have originated in or around Hanoi, where it brought together the foods of Vietnam’s historic colonizers: rice noodles from the Chinese and beef from the French.  In diasporic Vietnamese communities around the world, it’s more common to find southern-style phở with big, bold broth……

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Stained glassed and church pews mingle with baseball caps with what appears to be a religious shrine to headwear, is Jerry’s Hat Museum, located inside a former Church of God in Forrest, Illinois. Jerry Roth grew up in the quaint town of Forrest, to local crop farmers. He has great memories of this town and says returning to the friendly faces inspired him to want to stay. So upon his retirement, after 40 years of management at a computer……

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Vietnamese food was thrust into the international spotlight when the late chef and TV host Anthony Bourdain joined President Barack Obama for a $6 dinner at a local canteen in Hanoi. The now-famous meal? Bún chả, an iconic pork noodle dish, washed down with cold beers.  Bringing together bún (rice vermicelli noodles) and chả (pork patties), the dish is believed to have originated in the early 20th century in Hanoi—once described by 20th century Vietnamese food writer Vu Bang……

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Cave Hill Cemetery is famous as home to the graves of Muhammad Ali, Colonel Sanders, and Mr. Magic, but there is also a unique memorial dedicated to a little girl named Samantha Ann “Sami” McDonald. The faithful McDonald family was struck by a tragedy on May 2, 2006, when a three-year-old Sami accidentally rode her tricycle into the family pool. Her tombstone was installed in Cave Hill Cemetery, with a life-size bronze sculpture of her riding a swing, the……

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