3899 Items Tagged

History

Vulcan, West Virginia

Vulcan Bridge

This rural bridge gave the government of West Virginia a red scare.

Silver Islet, Ontario

Silver Islet Mine

The site of one of the most profitable silver mines in the world, reclaimed by Lake Superior.

The fate of the ancient native inhabitants of Cahokia in southwest Illinois remains a mystery.

Atlas Obscura’s Guide to the 10 Most Mystifying Places in Illinois

Creepy clowns, mysterious mounds, and a jail for two

Sponsored By Enjoy Illinois

This year, longtime Massachusetts corn maze Mike's Maze has a circus theme.

Inside the Weird World of Corn Mazes

The a-maize-ing history of getting lost among the stalks.

Roxanne Hoorn October 8, 2024

London, England

Oval Gasholder

How did a fuel storage container become one of the most famous sights in the sporting world of cricket?

A glorious night sky seen through Owachomo Bridge in Utah's Natural Bridges National Monument, which was named the world's first International Dark Sky Park in 2007.

Archaeologists Explore Life After Dark in the Ancient Night

Studying our ancestors' nocturnal lives reveals the value of reclaiming darkness.

Nancy Gonlin and April Nowell October 7, 2024

Wigan Roman Bathhouse

A reconstructed section of a Roman bathhouse sits next to an otherwise ordinary shopping mall.

Galena, Illinois

DeSoto House Hotel

The oldest operating hotel in Illinois enjoys a historic (and some say haunted) past.

Alton, Illinois

American Oddities Museum

A taxidermy “mermaid,” vampire-killing kits, and hundreds of other bizarre objects are housed at this quirky museum.

Peshawar, Pakistan

Sethi House

A rare instance of a historical Peshawari mansion restored and opened to the public.

Aldeburgh, England

Moot Hall

One of the best preserved Tudor public buildings in Britain was once used for witch trials.

Brands of all sorts used recipes to sell products in the post-war era.

American Food Traditions That Started as Marketing Ploys

Your grandma didn't invent that recipe.

Diana Hubbell September 30, 2024

Yallabatharra, Australia

Lynton Convict Hiring Depot

This remote outpost hosts the remains of one of Australia's key sites in the history of convicted laborers.

Taoyuan, Taiwan

Garden of the Generalissimos

A Taiwanese garden teems with the retired statues of the island's former dictator.

Timber Tina’s Great Maine Lumberjack Show

This high-octane event honors Maine’s legacy as the birthplace of logging in the U.S.

Phippsburg, Maine

Seguin Island Light Station

George Washington commissioned this centuries-old lighthouse off the coast of Maine.

This 1882 engraving of Ragnarok, the Viking doomsday, shows Odin mounted on a horse and fighting the wolf Fenrir.

7 Stories That Show Just How Metal the Nordics Are

From Viking werewolves to snacking on pickled ram's testicles, Europe's northernmost countries are badass.

Roxanne Hoorn September 27, 2024

Monhegan, Maine

Monhegan Museum of Art & History

This remote museum highlights the island’s impressive creative legacy.