Author: Ms. R.

A section of preserved Atlantic Forest in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais is one of the few remaining habitats for the critically-endangered muriqui. The largest and heaviest monkey native to the Americas, the muriqui is largely folivorous, meaning that it feeds mainly on the leaves of certain trees. The large and incredibly strong tail of this primate is prehensile and is used with great dexterity as a fifth limb to swing through the rainforest canopy. Often called the “hippy monkey,”……

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Even among Kyoto’s many historic shops, Ichimonjiya Wasuke, which has been in operation for more than a thousand years, stands out. Reportedly, the original founder started his business by serving roasted rice cakes, known as aburi-mochi, to those who visited the nearby Imamiya Shrine. In that time of famine and plague, it was believed that offering bamboo skewers to the gods there would offer protection from diseases. At Ichiwa, as the confectionery is affectionately known, aburi-mochi is the only offering……

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Just outside of the city of San Sebastian lies the small town of Pasaia, which was once a main whaling port of Europe. The town has a long boulevard and active port. At the very end of a winding path lies a boat factory that houses a boat-building school, a museum, and a boat wharf.  A little bit of a history lesson is needed here: the Basques were among the first people to catch whales for commercial reasons. They……

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The Fort Mojave Twins are a pair of geoglyphs that represent large human figures that possibly date to 900 BCE. The twins are said to signify good and evil. The larger of the two has a massive head with attached limbs and is believed to represent good. It may also be representative of an ancient god. The other twin has a smaller head with detached arms and signifies evil. The Mojave Desert along the Colorado River is the only place……

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In the 1800s, a shortage of space on the beach for the shore-based fishing fleet created restrictions on the space for fishing storage sheds, where nets and other equipment were kept dry. This resulted in fishermen with only eight or nine square feet to build to design storage vertically. These thin, timber storage sheds up to three stories high were used for storing and mending the nets. They were known locally as net shops. The sheds were originally built……

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The first records of Castello di Poppi date back to 1169, when it was run by the Abbey of San Fidele de Strumi. By the 1190s, the castle had passed into the hands of the Conti Guidi, in which it would remain for hundreds of years. It is thought that two architects were responsible for the design and build of the castle: Lapo di Cambio and Arnolfo di Cambio. The latter would later design the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, and……

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The Robert Louis Stevenson Museum is a treasured institution in the heart of St. Helena in the Napa Valley.  Established by Norman and Charlotte Strouse in 1969, the RLS Museum is the largest, publicly accessible collection dedicated to author Robert Louis Stevenson. Best known for his classics Treasure Island and Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Stevenson wrote many novels, travel books, poems, and articles. He also traveled extensively, which is how he met his wife, Californian Fanny Osbourne,……

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For Women’s History Month, Atlas Obscura’s Women in Conservation series celebrates women of science who are protecting our planet’s biodiversity in innovative ways. The girl, not even a teenager yet, plunged into the ocean from the boat, trading the easy oxygen of the terrestrial world for air from the tank strapped to her back. At 12, Andrea Marshall was making her last certification dive, a landmark moment in a lifelong obsession with every living thing in the sea and……

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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 bring you a classic: the herdswomen in Northern Sweden who have, for centuries, lured cows home with haunting melodies. Read more about it. 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……

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In a corner of Freiburg‘s old town stands the Haus zum Walfisch, or the Whale House (likely after the Biblical legend of Jonah), a Late Gothic bourgeois house known to fans of horror cinema as a major filming location of the 1977 cult classic Suspiria. With a vivid crimson façade and psychedelic spiral decorations, it’s no wonder this atmospheric building was chosen for the film’s setting. Cult fame aside, the edifice is rich in philosophical history as well. Built……

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Few items on the menu at Betty’s Old Fashion on East Hillsboro Street in El Dorado, Arkansas, ever exceed $10. The hand-packed burgers clock in at $3, while a dipped cone of soft serve is just $1.25. On Sundays, the lunch special of either chicken and dressing, a fried pork chop, or a hamburger steak on a plate heaped with fried okra, turnip greens, purple hull peas, gravy-doused creamed potatoes, cornbread, cake, and tea will set you back $9.88…….

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