Author: Ms. R.

Despite its name, King Arthur’s Round Table is actually a late Neolithic period earthwork henge that dates back to around 2000-1000 B.C.—even further than Arthurian legend. Originally part of a group of prehistoric megalithic sites and burial mounds in this area, King Arthur’s Round Table is now one of a pair of remaining henges on the edge of Eamont Bridge, along with nearby Mayburgh Henge. The ancient monument consists of a low circular platform surrounded by a wide ditch and earthen……

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On the walls of the church of L’église Saint-Orien de Meslay-le-Grenet, a fresco portrays an army of grinning cadavers, wielding bladed scythes and swords merrily as they apprehend a cross-section of medieval society—regardless of their social class. The grim figures beckon them with skeletal hands to the Danse Macabre. Portrayed among the “invited dancers” are stoic knights, stolid peasants, arrogant princes and kings, pious bishops, noblewomen dressed in their finery, pretentious horseriding aristocrats, wealthy merchants, and even babies in their……

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The Wachusett Reservoir is the second largest body of water within Massachusetts. It has a capacity of around 65 billion gallons with an area of almost seven square miles, and a maximum depth of 120 feet. In the 1890s, the Boston Metropolitan Area was rapidly expanded and it became evident more freshwater was needed. In 1897, construction on the dam began to impound the Nashua River and it was completed in 1905. At the time, it was the largest……

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Today, Boston Harbor’s Long Island is a quiet place, visited mostly by seabirds. The skinny, low-lying island is home to a picturesque church, the ruins of a Cold War-era Nike missile launch site, and a cluster of vacant brick buildings once used as a municipal homeless shelter. The island’s southwestern tip points to neighboring Moon Island; in the strait separating them rise more than a dozen concrete pillars. The massive, crumbling structures are all that remains of a bridge,……

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When looking for old Viking towns, one expects to find them in Scandinavia or maybe the northern United Kingdom, but oddly enough, it is possible to find one near the German Alps in Bavaria. Flake is a fictional town from the adventures of “Vicky the Viking,” a children’s book, cartoon, and movie series, and the home of the titular Wicky. It was built as a set for the 2008 movie “Vicky and the Strong Men” where the alpine backdrop of……

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Theodor Seuss Geisel, more popularly known as Dr. Seuss, is known around the world for his classic children’s books filled with whimsical tales and illustrations. While longtime fans are familiar with his popular books, most have not seen his other artwork. The Art of Dr. Seuss Gallery seeks to change that by introducing the public to Geisel’s other artistic works. Propelled by the efforts of Geisel’s wife’s Audrey, this collection aims to show the private side of the legendary……

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The first time Mahajabeen Padamsee stumbled across Entoloma hochstetteri in a New Zealand forest, she was happily startled. It was small, just a couple of inches tall, and she thought it seemed out of place. “I was like, ‘What are you doing here?’” Padamsee says. E. hochstetteri is a mushroom, and it’s blue. It’s really, really, really blue—almost unbelievably blue, saturated in a way more often associated with kids’ markers or mouth-staining candy than with fungi. Padamsee, a mycologist……

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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 an Ecuadorian cave that has captured the attention of government officials, scientists, and professional cavers and is home to a particularly rare creature. 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……

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Guy Shrubsole is on a mission to map one of the world’s most endangered rainforests—a moss- and mist-shrouded stretch of ancient oak, pine, birch, and ash along the western shores of Britain. Fed by fierce gales, intense rainfall, and high levels of humidity, Britain’s Atlantic coast was once home to vast swathes of woodland known as “temperate rainforests,” and is now the unlikely location for Shrubsole’s ambitious conservation project. Woodland conservationists consider the few fragments of ancient temperate rainforests……

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Sitting on the confluence of the Tittabawassee and Chippewa Rivers in downtown Midland is one of the most unusual wooden bridges in the world. The Tridge is the official name of this three-way bridge that allows pedestrians access to all three shores. It connects downtown Midland to Chippewassee Park on one side and St. Charles Park on the other. Besides being a convenient way for pedestrians to get from the parks to the city center, it is also the……

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