All Stories

Podcast: The Places You Return To

travel

Podcast: The Places You Return To

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

crosswords

Puzzle Monday: Creature Feature Crossword

Purple straw turns golden as it matures.

grains

The Return of Purple Straw, an Iconic Southern Wheat

It has a whole team of champions working on its comeback.

For $1.35 million, you could become the next owner of one of the largest southern live oak trees in the United States.

tree

For Sale: A Grand Old President (That Happens To Be a Tree)

Up to 1,200 years old, the stately 'Seven Sisters' Oak has held the title for more than half a century.

Cameroon's Lake Nyos, photographed shortly after its 1986 release of a massive cloud of carbon dioxide gas, which killed more than 1,700 people.

disasters

The Invisible Threat Beneath Cameroon's Deadly Lake Nyos

Thousands died in 1986 when the crater lake unleashed a cloud of toxic gas. Could it happen again?

Podcast: World’s Oldest Edible Ham

food artifacts

Podcast: World’s Oldest Edible Ham

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

Some recipes seem tasty, others somewhat frightening.

writing

The Oldest Cookbooks From Libraries Around the World

Vintage recipes include flaming peacocks and kangaroo brains.

Pape Diop, shown here working in Dakar in 2018, was one of the most prolific street artists of Bamba images.

street art

The Reluctant Saint Who Watches Over Senegal as Street Art

Amadou Bamba stood for freedom from imperialism, and now means much more.

English archeologist Howard Carter is well-known for his discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. "We really wanted to showcase the Egyptian team, whose hard work has been overlooked for 100 years," says Oxford University Egyptologist Daniela Rosenow, co-curator of the exhibition.

archive

What We Overlooked in King Tut's Tomb

A new exhibit focuses on the Egyptians left out of the story of the most famous archeological find of the 20th century.

Sange Norbu milks a yak in Northeast India.

disappearing world

The Last Cheesemakers of the Eastern Himalayas

India and Bhutan's yak herders face steep challenges.

Podcast: Nakagin Capsule Tower

skyscrapers

Podcast: Nakagin Capsule Tower

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

A bottlenose dolphin in the Red Sea near the southern Israeli coastal city of Eilat.

behavior

Dolphins in the Red Sea May Use Coral to 'Self-Medicate'

Scientists observing a pod in the wild think the animals may choose specific species for a skin care wellness routine.

Podcast: Phone Booth on a Roof

telephones

Podcast: Phone Booth on a Roof

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

Crushing cranberries to make wine.

wine

Why Is Wine (Almost) Always Made From Grapes?

On the merits of blueberry, cherry, and pumpkin wine.

Martinique's vibrant dance tradition includes bèlè, which participants have described as an "otherworldly" experience.

anthropology

Martinique's Bèlè Dance Is a Celebration of Land, Spirit, and Liberation

For centuries, the Caribbean island's tradition has been a symbol of resistance, healing, and empowerment.

Podcast: Eastern State Penitentiary

prisons

Podcast: Eastern State Penitentiary

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

codes

Puzzle Monday: Secrets of the Original Code-Talkers

Bessie Jones (with tambourine) felt a “call to teach" and to share the rich Black musical tradition she grew up with.

folk music

The Woman Who Made Black Traditions a Vital Part of Music Education

Singer Bessie Jones is the reason so many American children know the folk songs of African and Gullah cultures.