History - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

3505 Items Tagged

History

Share Tweet
New York, New York

The Ziegfeld Head

The front yard of an Upper East Side town house hides the last fragment of one of New York's most famous theatres.
Alan Freed memorial at Lake View Cemetery in Cleveland.
Cleveland, Ohio

Grave of Alan Freed

A jukebox headstone marks the grave of the Cleveland disc jockey credited with coining the term “rock 'n' roll."
The Crossness Pumping Station in London was so intricately decorated that it was nicknamed "The Cathedral on the Marsh."
engineering

Modern Cities Owe Their Cleanliness to These Innovative Old Sewers

Crucial advances in where we put our poop, throughout history.
Kavya Ram Mohan April 13, 2017
Mystery Hikers were often thought too rowdy for a respectable Sunday outing.
sports

Rowdy 'Mystery Hikes' to Undisclosed Locations Were All the Rage in the '30s

Tromping through strange woods in stockings and heels? Why not!
Andy Wright April 13, 2017
The Madonna in Bethesda
Bethesda, Maryland

Madonna of the Trail

She stares out across six lanes of traffic, clutching a musket and infant with determination.
The inscription roughly translated reads: 'Knight of St. George, a pupil of La Bössiere's father, both in London and in Paris, the reputation of the greatest practitioner of fencing was equally appreciated as a musician.'
music

The 'Black Mozart' Was So Much More

Between composing concertos, Joseph Bologne fenced and fought in the army.
Andrea Valentino April 12, 2017
There are two full columns and two halves
Lincoln, Nebraska

Pioneers Park Pillars

Four ionic columns from the Treasury Department building ended up in a park in Nebraska.
Blair Niles in 1910, then known as Mary Blair Beebe, on an expedition.
exploration

The Intrepid '20s Women Who Formed an All-Female Global Exploration Society

Excluded from the men-only Explorers Club, they established their own group for adventurers.
April White April 12, 2017
The melted core, from the side.
science

The Behind-the-Scenes Story of an Unplanned Meltdown at America’s First Nuclear Power Reactor

Ray Haroldsen didn't really notice anything was wrong.
Sarah Laskow April 11, 2017
Cloaca Maxima's outfall is near the Ponte Rotto bridge.
Rome, Italy

Cloaca Maxima

The "Greatest Sewer" of ancient Rome is one of the oldest sewer systems in the world, and is still in use.
A market where rats, cats, and dogs were sold for eating.
food

During an 1870 Siege, Trapped Parisians Dined on Rat, Cat, and Elephant

In a desperate time, the zoo became a source of food.
Anne Ewbank April 10, 2017
You'll never unsee it now.
Washington, D.C.

Washington Monument Marble Stripe

Look closely and you’ll notice that the color changes a third of the way up the tower.
Pizzo during his round-trip ride from New York to Los Angeles.
bicycles

The Adventures of Tony Pizzo, Who Rode Around the U.S. Handcuffed to His Bicycle

It all began with a wager made by Fatty Arbuckle.
Garrett Hein April 7, 2017
Exterior of the house.
Waldorf, Maryland

Dr. Samuel Mudd House Museum

Home of the physician who set the leg of John Wilkes Booth after the Lincoln assassination.
Barnsdall's Main Street oil well.
Barnsdall, Oklahoma

Barnsdall Main Street Oil Well

A tiny but mighty little pumper sits in the middle of the street, waiting for the next big oil strike.
American University surrounded by Army tents
Washington, D.C.

American University Experiment Station

The school tested mustard gas for the U.S. Army during World War I.
King William III and his mid-17th century "close stool," which is on display at Hampton Court.
bathrooms

It Was Once Someone's Job to Chat With the King While He Used the Toilet

"Groom of the Stool" could be a crappy role, but it came with great benefits.
Natalie Zarrelli April 6, 2017
Yellow dashes mark the old tunnel
Washington, D.C.

FDR's Bomb Shelter

The first presidential bomb shelter was located in an old vault under the Treasury, connected to the White House via tunnel.