Author: Ms. R.

When we think of breathtaking landscapes, the Arizona “Wave” natural landform often comes to mind, captivating visitors with its mesmerizing wavy lines sculpted by the forces of geology and wind erosion. However, at the same latitude in Shaanxi Province of China lies a spectacle with even more stunning scenery—the Jingbian Red Wave Valley in Jingbian County, Shaanxi Province.  The Red Wave Valley is a fascinating example of the Danxia landform, primarily characterized by its striking red sandstone formations, which……

Read More

These 10 rowhouses were built in 1888 by Charles James Murphy for laborers employed at his company, the Annapolis Glass Works. The houses bear witness to Eastport’s early years. The seventh house was the first post office in the new community, which Murphy named after his hometown in Eastport, Maine. When the glass factory closed in 1902, Murphy’s Row fell into disrepair. In the early 1980s, the properties were redeveloped and sold as private residences. They are Eastport’s only……

Read More

Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit Hartsdale Pet Cemetery. Just north of New York City, the cemetery was founded in 1896 and is the oldest operating pet cemetery in the United States. It’s here that dearly departed four-legged friends—and sometimes, even their owners—come to rest. Be sure to grab your tissues. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring,……

Read More

Sometime during or just after the Civil War, a black rat in Williamsburg, Virginia, came into possession of a rare trophy: a solid silver fork. The rodent—a member of the ubiquitous species Rattus rattus, which arrived in North America with the Jamestown colonists—was living between the walls in a building that had variously been a home, a shop, a school, and a popular tavern. The rat’s family had likely been there for generations, gradually adding scraps of paper, fabric,……

Read More

Atlas Obscura’s Wondersky columnist Rebecca Boyle is an award-winning science journalist and author of the upcoming Our Moon: How Earth’s Celestial Companion Transformed the Planet, Guided Evolution, and Made Us Who We Are (January 2024, Random House). Throughout the summer, she’ll be sharing the stories and secrets of our wondrous night sky. When you wake up tomorrow, whether you rise with the sun or long after it, think for a moment about our journey through the cosmos. The sun……

Read More

Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit a museum in Georgetown, South Carolina that’s dedicated to preserving and prioritizing the rich and historic Gullah Geechee culture. 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 the way you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories…….

Read More

Gastro Obscura’s Summer Cookout columnist Paula Marcoux is a food historian and the author of Cooking With Fire. Throughout the summer, she’ll be sharing recipes and stories from the luminous history of open-fire cooking. Ah, there’s nothing quite like an aromatic loaf of freshly baked bread, still crackling and steaming from the oven. But for archaeologists, that option—so enticing to normal people—might be a second choice to a fragment of bread that has been incinerated with a human corpse,……

Read More