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The cisterns of Tawila.
Aden, Yemen

Cisterns of Tawila

This impressive system of tanks was used to store drinking water as long as 2,000 years ago.
Lisa Levy, the contest's 2017 winner, said she was completely stunned by her win.
transportation

The Miss Subways Pageant Charted the Highs and Lows of 20th-Century Feminism in New York

From a 1940s beauty queen to a 2017 performance artist.
Natasha Frost October 4, 2017
King Ferdinand I of Aragon had colorectal cancer.
mummies

Italian Renaissance Aristocrats Were Susceptible to Cancer, Too

Mummified evidence that cancer might not be a disease of the modern world.
Vittoria Traverso October 4, 2017
Farmington, Connecticut

Shade Swamp Sanctuary

An abandoned Depression-era zoo hidden just off the highway.
Mosaics
Rabat, Malta

Domvs Romana

The remains of a 1st-century aristocratic Roman town house featuring beautiful well-preserved mosaics.
A marble Senate bathtub.
Washington, D.C.

Senate Bathtubs

Senators used to relax in the nearly forgotten marble tubs now hidden in the U.S. Capitol Building's basement.
Jeremy Bentham's head is usually not on display, to prevent further deterioration.
mummies

Jeremy Bentham's Head Is Coming Out of Its Box and Under the Microscope

Scientists want to know if the forward-thinking philosopher had autism.
Natasha Frost October 3, 2017
Iberian Gallery.
Alicante, Spain

Archaeological Museum of Alicante (MARQ)

Fascinating exhibits of prehistoric and ancient artifacts displayed with a uniquely modern touch.
Chateau de Machecoul
Machecoul, France

Château de Machecoul

The ruins of a medieval castle linked to the murderous French lord that inspired the famous legend of Bluebeard.
Sawtooth National Forest in Idaho, where Basque arborglyphs have been found.
graffiti

The Mysterious Tree Carvings of America's Basque Sheepherders

Arborglyphs document a lonely life out West.
Kelsey Kennedy October 3, 2017
Roy Campanella and Don Newcombe after a victory for their major league team, the Brooklyn Dodgers, in 1949.
sports

1,400 Baby Chicks and the Integration of Professional Baseball

In 1946 in Nashua, New Hampshire, catcher Roy Campanella made history in more ways than one.
Ashawnta Jackson October 3, 2017
Old Lincoln Highway between Omaha and Elkhorn.
Omaha, Nebraska

Old Lincoln Highway in Omaha

A brick-paved former section of the historic coast-to-coast highway.
Dress worn by president Franklin Pierce.
Concord, New Hampshire

Dress Worn by U.S. President Franklin Pierce

The dress young Pierce wore prior to his breeching ceremony in the early 1800s is now on display for all to see.
A skeleton awakens! (1779)
31 days of halloween

The Gruesome History of Making Human Skeletons

From quicklime to boiling to bugs.
Sarah Laskow October 3, 2017
Contemporary appearance of the Rammed Earth Pilot House.
Cabin John, Maryland

USDA Rammed Earth House

This suburban house is made of dirt, and almost sparked a revolution in home construction.
The plaque in foreview, with JFK's green doorstep across the street.
Washington, D.C.

Freezing Newsmen Plaque

A small token of gratitude from freezing cold journalists who were given a warm haven while covering JFK's inauguration.
A 1900 photograph of Chinatown.
hidden

For Decades, New York's Chinatown Duped 'Slum Tourists' With Faked Danger and Depravity

Opium dens, gunfights, and poverty theater.
Natasha Frost October 2, 2017
The "bottom parade."
Schwerin, Germany

Henry the Lion Monument

A city's controversial tribute to its founder depicts townspeople flashing their bare behinds.