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The restored kilns in 2013.
Edinburgh, Scotland

Portobello Bottle Kilns

The last remaining bottle-shaped kilns in Scotland stand alone in an Edinburgh suburb.
The portal in Rivodutri.
Rivodutri, Italy

Alchemical Door of Rivodutri

A 17th-century doorway in a small Sabine village is a portal into the mysteries of alchemy.
Gravestones with planes taking off above.
Atlanta, Georgia

Flat Rock and Hart Cemeteries

Two Civil War-era cemeteries stuck between runways at the world's busiest airport.
The infamous plunderers didn’t actually wear horned helmets, but they did wear ice skates made of bone.
vikings

Vikings Relaxed by Skating on Bones and Hunting on Skis

To chill like a marauding Norseman, drop your sword and take up these ancient winter sports.
Isaac Schultz August 22, 2019
A nice cool swig of water from a <em>botijo.</em>
food

The Art, Science, and Allure of Spain's Water-Cooling Jugs

Used from time immemorial, this traditional technology is now fading away.
Ignacio Amigo August 22, 2019
The mausoleum on La Bufa Hill.
Zacatecas, Mexico

Mausoleum of Illustrious People

This grand yet little-visited tomb seems almost carved into the hill it sits on.
Catherine the Great dropped in to visit the "ice mountain" in St. Petersburg, depicted in this detail from an 18th-century painting by Benjamin Paterssen.
amusement parks

Way Before Roller Coasters, Russians Zipped Down Enormous Ice Slides

These artificial mountains were fast, thrilling, and probably very dangerous.
Jessica Leigh Hester August 21, 2019
Lake Ilopango, under appropriately cloudy skies.
volcanoes

When a Volcano in El Salvador Cooled Down the Entire World

It may have even helped bring on the bubonic plague.
Matthew Taub August 19, 2019
Soup set to be disinterred in 1980, 2000, and 2050.
exploration

The Quest to Find a Lost Arctic Explorer’s Buried Soup

An "Arctic mystery" may lead to a future of food under the permafrost.
Tal McThenia August 19, 2019
A 17th-century cider press.
history

When the Cure for Poisonous Cider Was Hours of Bathtime

Doctors sent "Devonshire colic" patients to soak in the town of Bath.
Anne Ewbank August 19, 2019
This serene garden and modest fountain marks the heart of Montcalm Park.
Oswego, New York

Montcalm Park

This Upstate New York park squeezes a lot of history into its two-acre triangular space.
Items missing from the National Archives might have been stolen, misplaced, or filed incorrectly.
military history

On the Hunt for National Treasures With America’s Archive Detective

Mitch Yockelson scours the country for its missing heritage.
Nina Strochlic August 16, 2019
Harriet Tubman's Grave
Auburn, New York

Fort Hill Cemetery

The final resting place of Harriet Tubman and other famous historical figures.
In this detail from a map of Tetliztaca, made in 1581, traditional and newer visual styles live right to one another.
maps

How a 16th-Century Spanish Questionnaire Inspired Indigenous Mapmakers of Mexico

Bureaucratic paperwork led to pretty maps that highlight power structures and visual identity.
Jessica Leigh Hester August 15, 2019
Altenburg, Germany

Historischer Friseursalon

An incredibly well-preserved barbershop from the 1920s was transformed into a tiny local museum.
Stones.
Mexico City, Mexico

Temple of Santiago Tlatelolco's Stones

A close look at the church's walls reveals pieces of Mexico's history.
How could something so creamy and crispy and sweet and sour and savory become so popular?
food

What the Heck Is Crab Rangoon Anyway?

How a fusion of at least four cuisines created a beloved and misunderstood dish.
Dan Nosowitz August 14, 2019
Babae's wine window is open an hour each day.
wine

One of Florence's 'Wine Windows' Is Open Once More

It's a reminder of when Florentine families sold wine from their palace cellars.
Lisa Harvey August 14, 2019