Explore 1266 Features Collections - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

1266 Items Tagged

Features

Share
F. Percy Smith at his house in Southgate, April 1, 1936.
nature

The Shy Edwardian Filmmaker Who Showed Nature's Secrets to the World

F. Percy Smith made flies dance, ants battle, and flowers bloom.
Linda Rodriguez McRobbie February 21, 2017
Centro Habana heading towards the Barrio Chino, home of the old Shanghai Theatre.
literature

Exploring Cuba, Guided by Graham Greene

'Our Man in Havana' was published at the end of 1958, and much of the city it describes remains intact.
Luke Spencer February 20, 2017
The original Colleoni coat of arms.
hearts

In Heraldry, Hearts Can Symbolize Everything From Lily Pads to Testicles

Love, schmove.
Eric Grundhauser February 16, 2017
A replica of the items in the original Westinghouse time capsule.
how to

The Best Way to Find a Time Capsule

They've been waiting for you.
Eric Grundhauser February 15, 2017
Even Siggi is unsettled by the necropants.
witchcraft

It's Not Always Easy Being Iceland's Best Witchcraft Museum

Modern-day lessons abound when you're immersed in 17th century sorcery.
Eric Grundhauser February 10, 2017
Elephants in a 13th century manuscript.
science

Why Did Medieval Artists Give Elephants Trunks That Look Like Trumpets?

Maybe not just because they didn't know what elephants looked like.
Sarah Laskow February 10, 2017
A description of the Ohio River, by Thomas Hutchins, the U.S. Geographer.
maps

When Land Surveys Were a Modern Marvel

In 1784, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton squared off over the best way to divvy up newly American territory.
Sarah Laskow February 9, 2017
Kiikers gonna kiik.
extreme sports

Inside the High-Flying World of Estonian Extreme Swinging

Kiiking turns Estonia's cultural obsession with swings into an X-Games contender.
Eric Grundhauser February 9, 2017
A chorus line of statuettes at Dublin Mouldings.
statues

The Alluring Statuette Dividing Dublin

The "Lady on the Rock" sculpture sits in windows all over town. But what does it mean?
John Kelly February 3, 2017
Dickens at work.
maps

Why the London of British Literature Barely Changed for 200 Years

An innovative mapping project uncovers just how limited the literary version of the city has often been.
Sarah Laskow February 2, 2017
Haile sharing a vista with one of the books she carried.
parks

Exit Interview: I Was a Black, Female Thru-Hiker on the Appalachian Trail

On joining an exclusive group that's 75 percent male and overwhelmingly white.
Sarah Laskow February 1, 2017
A tuatara in Wellington, New Zealand.
animals

The Unlikely Comeback of New Zealand's Weirdest 'Living Fossil'

Meet the tuatara, a three-eyed reptile with a 200-million-year-old lineage.
Amelia Urry January 31, 2017
Wojtek wrestles with the troops during his first tour of duty in 1942. (Photo: Imperial War Museum/Public Domain)
military history

The Lovable Syrian Brown Bear Who Fought For His (Adoptive) Country

Cara Giaimo January 30, 2017
The format here is from a 70mm print, wide enough for her red bouffant.
film

The Forgotten 'China Girls' Hidden at the Beginning of Old Films

Used as quality control, these haunting images were never meant to be public.
Sarah Laskow January 30, 2017
Tokyo at night.
language

The Mystery and Occasional Poetry of, Uh, Filled Pauses

They are especially unusual in Japanese.
Dan Nosowitz January 27, 2017
Roy Rogers turned Billy the Kid into a good guy in Billy the Kid Returns.
film

The Counterintuitive History of Black Hats, White Hats, And Villains

Even in old Westerns, the white hat/black hat divide is less distinct than is often remembered.
Sarah Laskow January 27, 2017
Say hello to Burglar Bill.
features

Decoding the Classic Burglar Outfit

Where did the crook in the striped shirt come from?
Eric Grundhauser January 27, 2017
The bundling bag was not always enough. When two people bundled, a bolster or wooden board was installed to separate the two halves of the bed.
features

The Awkward 17th-Century Dating Practice That Saw Teens Get Bundled Into Bags

And a wooden board separating the lovers in bed.
Natalie Zarrelli January 26, 2017