Explore 230 Disaster areas Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Graffiti Highway, which once drew visitors from far and near, is now paved over.
disasters

The Rebirth of Pennsylvania’s Infamous Burning Town

Sixty years into the fire that left the town condemned, Centralia is now a haven for wild plants and butterflies.
Colin Dickey January 13, 2026

Bahía Paraíso Shipwreck

The ship responsible for Antarctica’s largest oil spill still lies just below the surface.
Colorado Springs, Colorado

United 585 Memorial

When a mechanical flaw rewrote aviation rules.
Crosby, Minnesota

Milford Mine Park

The site of Minnesota’s worst mining disaster, now reclaimed by nature.
A mural celebrating Russian space exploration remains on the wall at Prypiat's abandoned post office, which once served nearly 50,000 residents.
abandoned

Tragedy Lingers Inside Chornobyl's Abandoned City

It’s been nearly 40 years since a reactor exploded at this Soviet nuclear power plant, but disaster has a long half-life.
Matthew Christopher December 11, 2024
Sunshine Valley, British Columbia

Hope Slide

The morning of January 9, 1965, over 46 million cubic meters of earth, rock, and snow broke free, obliterating a section of the highway below.
Is your state in danger of an earthquake? Well, yes.
disasters

Not Even Minnesota Is Safe From Earthquakes

Was the recent New York quake really all that uncommon? Here's a state-by-state map.
Frank Jacobs April 12, 2024
conspiracy theories

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 2

The mysterious tragedy of the Dyatlov Pass Incident gets an explanation—but not necessarily one everyone accepts.
The Podcast Team November 22, 2023
conspiracy theories

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 1

The tragedy and mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident has captured imaginations for decades.
The Podcast Team November 21, 2023
Ashland, Pennsylvania

Byrnesville

An underground blaze turned this village into a ghost town.
Prypiat, Ukraine

Jupiter Radiotechnology Factory

A huge Soviet-era robotics factory in the outskirts of Prypiat, now long-abandoned.
intriguing environs

Podcast: Lake Karachay

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team February 23, 2022
Lava flows surround the town of El Paraíso on La Palma in the Canary Islands.
disasters

How Volcanologists Tracked a Violent, Months-Long Eruption

Though the damage on La Palma in the Canary Islands is extensive, no lives were lost.
Robin George Andrews January 14, 2022
museums

Podcast: Gold Medal Flour

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team December 27, 2021
wwi

Podcast: Zone Rouge

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team April 12, 2021
abandoned

Podcast: Gold Medal Flour

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team March 31, 2021
fiery wonders

Podcast: The Gates of Hell

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team March 15, 2021
Japan's charismatic raccoon dogs are back in business. Only wild boars are appearing in greater numbers.
radioactive

9 Years Later, Furry Friends—and Foes—Are Returning to Fukushima

Few of them seem to miss the missing humans.
Isaac Schultz January 21, 2020