Author: Ms. R.

Sitting on the banks of the Danube is a wartime listening device that wouldn’t look out of place in a steampunk arsenal or a fantastical Studio Ghibli animation. The listening device, labeled “Air Defence Early Warning Listening Ears – 1917” on its short plinth, faces the Pest side of the river from its home at the foot of the Buda castle gardens. The device was used to amplify and monitor the sound of aircraft approaching the city during World……

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Part of the World War II coastal defense system, the remnants of Camp Hayden can be found at the end of a thickly forested road inside the Salt Creek Recreation Area west of Port Angeles, Washington. One of seven locations in Washington’s system, this bunker featured a fire control radar and harbor entrance radar, as well as 45-foot guns that covered the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Constructed of steel-shielded concrete, the structure was designed to withstand a direct hit…….

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This steam-powered clock located outside the Indiana State Museum was designed by Raymond L. Saunders. At the top of the hour, its eight brass whistles play “Back Home Again in Indiana.” Though it uses older technology, the piece is not an antique—the 17-foot clock was built in 2002 when the museum moved to a new location. It’s one of just a few steam-powered clocks in the world, most of which were built by Saunders. Other clocks of his can be found in……

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Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein is one of the best-known books in the world, not only because of its captivating plot, but also because it’s one of the first ever sci-fi novels. While the writer was English, the story was written and takes place in Geneva, Switzerland. A statue of the monster was placed in the spot where it goes on a rampage and kills his creator’s brother.  The statue stands in the northeast corner of Frankenstein park, right next to……

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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 visit the Smithsonian Museum of American History in Washington, D.C., home to trailblazing computer scientist Grace Hopper’s actual computer bug. 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…….

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This story was originally published on The Conversation and appears here under a Creative Commons license. On a crisp autumn morning in 1908, an elegantly dressed African American man strode back and forth among the pin oaks, magnolias, and silver maples of O’Fallon Park in St. Louis, Missouri. After placing a dozen dishes filled with strawberry jam atop several picnic tables, biologist Charles Henry Turner retreated to a nearby bench, notebook and pencil at the ready. Following a midmorning……

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The entrance into Melbourne’s Port Phillip bay between Point Nepean and Point Lonsdale is one of the most dangerous passages of water in the world. The distance between the two headlands is a little over a mile, with reefs that project from either side leaving only a small navigable channel for boats to pass through. The Wreck Bell was established by the Ports and Harbors Branch to summon the crew of the Queenscliff lifeboat located a short distance away……

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Among our crosswords and other puzzles, we’ll be featuring logic challenges from Puzzle Communication Nikoli, a cult-favorite puzzle publication from Japan. A PDF of the puzzle, as well as the solution, can be downloaded below. Sometimes the puzzles in Japan’s Puzzle Communication Nikoli, the most influential puzzle publication in history, are the result of true community collaboration. One puzzle inspires more as readers—and many of its puzzles are created by dedicated readers—tinker with a puzzle mechanic or put their……

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