breakup week
Scandinavian-Americans Are Breaking Up With Lutefisk
But a new demographic is keeping America's largest lutefisk company afloat.
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burning questions
What Language Do People Speak in the Balkans, Anyway?
No one can seem to agree.
agriculture
America's Pistachio Industry Came From a Single Seed
A "plant explorer" helped establish the crop in California.
contentious demolitions
Mourners Once Held a Sidewalk Funeral for a Restaurant Named for a Hat
On Valentine’s Day 1994, protestors in Hollywood turned out to eulogize the Brown Derby.
breakup week
This Glacier Is Losing Ice Faster Than Any Other in Antarctica
Pine Island Glacier calved icebergs in 2013, 2015, 2017, and 2018—and now, another one is getting ready to break free.
king tut
Our Breath and Sweat Almost Ruined King Tut’s Tomb
But a new circulation system is making things better.
world record
The Grim, Depression-Era Origins of Dance Marathons
The common fundraising events known as walkathons started as an exploitative entertainment craze.
15 Instagram Feeds That Help Make the World More Wondrous
Atlas Obscura readers (and staff!) praise the Instagrammers who are truly blowing them away in 2019.
the soviet imprint
Why Russians Are Lining Up for Soviet-Style Canteens
They haven’t lost their taste for Cold War-era comfort food.
california
Last Year’s Severe Wildfires May Intensify a Spring Wildflower ‘Superbloom’
Fire followed by rain is the recipe for colorful fields and canyons.
greenland
The Vikings Got Lucky and Hit Greenland During a Warm Spell
But it didn’t go well for them when things got cold again.
bread
The Chinese Bagel That Helped to Win a War
General Qi Jiguang's 500-year-old military tactic still makes a good breakfast.
mesopotamia
How to Get Your Laundry Done in Ancient Mesopotamia
A humorous dialogue between a cleaner and customer, useful to both ancient scribes and modern scholars.
milk
Farmers Are Making Bespoke Milk for Coffee Art
High fat, protein-rich dairy produces better foam and tastier coffee.
namibia
These Namibian Hills Are Holdovers From an Ice Age
They reveal that ice was once speeding through southern Africa.
cards
The Handy Playing Cards That Taught 17th-Century Cooks to Carve Meat Like a Pro
The decks suggested proper technique, and were a path to class mobility.
show & tell
21 'Ugly' Buildings That Aren't Ugly at All
Atlas Obscura readers share their love for structures they feel have been unfairly maligned.
kites
A Team of Explorers and Scientists Traveled Through Antarctica—By Kite
Eco-friendly polar exploration on a WindSled.
