Explore 3899 History Collections - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

3899 Items Tagged

History

Share
The Thames mud can provide ideal conditions for the preservation of organic materials such as leather.
shoes

Found: Unfortunate 'Booted Man,' Who Met a Muddy End 500 Years Ago

The footwear would have been well-suited to tromping through the London mud that preserved it.
Anna Kusmer December 6, 2018
John Knox House.
Edinburgh, Scotland

John Knox House

This charming old building's loose connection with the Scottish Reformer is what saved it from demolition after it split apart.
While marmalade tastes sharp and even a little bitter, marmelada tastes hyper-sweet.
food

Why Portugal's Marmelada Tastes Nothing Like Marmalade

The blocky confection took on a very different definition in England.
Rafaela Ferraz December 5, 2018
Louisville, Kentucky

Belle of Louisville

The oldest operating Mississippi River–style steamboat still navigates the Ohio River.
Aerial view of Ružica Grad.
Duzluk, Croatia

Ružica Grad

Legend has it fairies gathered at the site of this medieval castle.
Comunidad Challapampa, Bolivia

Chincana Ruins

Mysterious Incan ruins on a tiny island in Lake Titicaca.
Hoa Hakananai'a.
London, England

Hoa Hakananai'a

The "lost friend” is the most famous of the six moai statues that were removed from Easter Island.
Princess Donají tomb.
Cuilapam de Guerrero, Mexico

Princess Donají Tomb

This abandoned convent keeps the tomb of a legendary beheaded princess.
The Venus of Brassempouy on display with other artifacts at the National Archaeological Museum.
Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France

The Venus of Brassempouy

This prehistoric figurine is the oldest known realistic depiction of a human face.
Giant African land snails are among the largest land snails in the world.
geology

How Giant, Intelligent Snails Became a Marker of Our Age

Ages from now, giant snails could be one of the lasting signs of human influence on Earth.
Sarah Laskow November 29, 2018
The replica gypsum furnace.
Castalla, Spain

La Foia de Castalla

This site is both a remarkable reminder of the town's mining history and a fantastic government blooper.
The Johnsons hired their longtime cook, Zephyr Wright, as presidential chef after feuding with her French predecessor.
food

When the President and His Chef Feuded Over Cold Beans

It was part of an “enduring rivalry” between African-American and French cooking in the White House.
Ryleigh Nucilli November 29, 2018
Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum, with Fresnel lens.
Nantucket, Massachusetts

Nantucket Shipwreck & Lifesaving Museum

A museum dedicated to Nantucket's legacy as the "graveyard of the Atlantic."
The Almoravid koubba.
Marrakesh, Morocco

Almoravid Koubba

The oldest monument in Marrakesh and the city's only surviving example of Almoravid architecture.
maps

In Its First Decades, The United States Nurtured Schoolgirl Mapmakers

Education for women and emerging nationhood, illustrated with care and charm.
Sarah Laskow November 28, 2018
Kamianets'-podil's'kyi, Ukraine

Kamianets-Podilskyi Castle

This Ukranian fortress is one of the best-preserved medieval castles in Europe.
A chocolate house in London, circa 1708.
food

The Rambunctious, Elitist Chocolate Houses of 18th-Century London

They were the original gentlemen’s clubs.
Lauren Cocking November 28, 2018
El Morro From Inscription Trail
Ramah, New Mexico

Inscription Rock at El Morro

Some 2,000 carvings show this rare desert spring has been an oasis for travelers for over a thousand years.