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Poledník lookout tower.
Prášily, Czechia

Poledník Lookout Tower

A Cold War secret surveillance tower used to spy on radio communications.
Geysir Glíma Statue.
Iceland

Geysir Glíma Restaurant

A restaurant devoted to "trouser grip" wrestling, an ancient form of Viking wrestling that is Iceland's national sport.
Holt House in November, 2008.
Washington, D.C.

Holt House

There's a crumbling old mansion inside the Smithsonian National Zoo.
This temporary American passport was issued to a family traveling to occupied Germany to visit their father, who was in the Air Force.
immigration

The History of Passport Photos, From 'Anything Goes' to Today's Mugshots

People have always hated how they look in them.
Natasha Frost September 8, 2017
Tack room.
Cardston, Alberta

Remington Carriage Museum

One of the largest collections of carriages, buggies, and wagons in the world.
A rejuvenated Mother Tree in June 2012.
Oroville, California

Mother Orange Tree

The oldest orange tree in California spawned a generation of citrus farmers.
Grasshopper.
London, England

Signs of Old Lombard Street

The last four extravagant street signs of London's historic banking street.
George Gauld's 1774 chart of the Keys (left), and a modern-day coral habitat map (right).
maps

The Coral Reef Loss Data Hidden in Old Navigational Charts

In the Florida Keys, researchers have found an important new way to estimate what's been lost.
Cara Giaimo September 6, 2017
Cowboy Elmer
Taylor, Nebraska

The Villagers

This Nebraska town wants to double its population with plywood cut-outs of townsfolk.
Streetview.
Washington, D.C.

Vigilant Firehouse

‘Bush the old fire dog died of poison July 5th, 1869. RIP.’
The PS Medway Queen.
Gillingham, England

The PS Medway Queen

The "Heroine of Dunkirk" rescued over 7,000 Allied troops during the historic World War II evacuation.
Caroline Brooks poses with one of her sculptures during her U.S. tour in 1877.
sculptures

America's First Butter Sculptor Was an Artist and a Celebrity

Despite her success, Caroline Shawk Brooks never forgot her sweet, creamy roots.
Cara Giaimo September 5, 2017
River Tyburn Conduit.
London, England

River Tyburn Conduit

A plaque marks the underground site of one of London's "lost rivers."
A Torelli set known as “Sea with Ships seen through a Rocky Cavern." Likely originally designed for a failed 1647 production of <em>Orpheus</em>, it was reused in 1650 for <em>Andromeda</em>.
history

How a 17th-Century Naval Engineer Revolutionized Set Design

Giacomo Torelli and his magnificent sub-stage machine.
Cara Giaimo September 5, 2017
The Roman circus of Toledo.
Toledo, Spain

Roman Circus of Toledo

The ruins of an ancient stadium that hosted gripping chariot and horse races.
Looking out over eight lanes of traffic.
Washington, D.C.

The Lockkeeper's House

A derelict bit of infrastructure from the canal that once ran through D.C. is landlocked in the heart of the city.
The patriotic plantations.
Bakewell, England

England's 'ER' Plantations

The patches of trees pay tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.
A 1798 engraving depicts <em>L'Astrolabe</em> and <em>La Boussole</em>.
islands

Solving the Mysterious Disappearance of Two 18th-Century French Frigates

A lost 1818 newspaper article may be a critical clue.
Natasha Frost August 31, 2017