essential guide
Atlas Obscura's Guide to the Longest Running Scientific Experiments
"Men love to wonder, and that is the seed of science." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
All Stories
story
Take a Trip with Traveler
The winner of this sweepstakes will get $5000 to put towards their travel fund.
atom bombs
7 Nuclear Test Sites You Can Visit Today
Where to see the vestiges of nuclear weapons tests around the world.
gender
Swedish Government Boards Achieve Gender Parity After 28 Years of Work
Solid work, Sweden.
photography
Inside a Comedy Writer’s Treasure Trove of Mid-Century 3-D Photos
Eric Drysdale's stereoscopic collection plunks you right down in the middle of the 1950s.
music box
Listen to the Mystical Music Box Version of Haddaway's 'What Is Love'
This paper-tape music box puts a new spin on the classic dance number.
abandoned opera houses
Inside an Abandoned Connecticut Opera House With a Jail Beneath its Stage
At one time in the U.S., almost every town had their own opera palace.
nasa
A Hacker From South Africa Rescued the First NASA Computer in Space
The 1966 Apollo Guidance Computer paved the way for the moon landing—and then sat in a scrap heap for decades.
racism
Found: The First Television Interview Nelson Mandela Ever Gave
During the Treason Trial of the late 1950s, Mandela spoke to a reporter about ANC goals.
colonial america
The Odd Hybrid Businesses That Defined the Early American Service Sector
Multi-tasking establishments were once the norm in America. What happened to them?
airports
Artists are Salvaging Train Stations' Analog Departure Boards
As split-flap Solari boards disappear from stations and airports, they reappear elsewhere.
bronze age
Amateur Archaeologists Uncover 'Sharp' Bronze Age Sword in Denmark
Well done.
american south
Why Northerners Think All Southerners Have One Accent
A small North Carolina island shows how different the Southern accent can be.
magic
Watch A '60s Magician Play The Mellotron
It's a musical computer for your home.
nature
This 84-Year-Old Retiree Wants 'the Internet' to See a Massive Mushroom He Found
Don Smith is proud.
snakes
What's So Endearing About Snakes and Toads? Ask a Herper
It's like bird watching, but for reptiles and amphibians.
milk
Is Carbonated Milk Coming To A Store Near You?
A Scandinavian company is beginning a worldwide fizzy milk rollout.
