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This Babylonian diagram, <em>Imago Mundi</em>, is thought to be one of the oldest maps of the world, dating to the sixth century B.C.
science

How to Predict an Eclipse Without a Computer

Some methods are easier than others.
Natasha Frost August 14, 2017
Earnestine & Hazel's.
Memphis, Tennessee

Earnestine & Hazel's

The juke joint where legendary soul artists ate, drank, and made merry.
Lanarch Castle, Dunedin.
Dunedin, New Zealand

Larnach Castle

One of New Zealand’s few castles boasts beautiful gardens, grand architecture, and a history filled with family drama.
Kiosks on display.
Stoke Heath, England

National Telephone Kiosk Collection

An ode to the classic piece of British street furniture.
Route 66.
Speculator, New York

The Mini Route 66

The great American road trip, but smaller.
Richmond, Virginia

Byrd Theatre

This beautiful vintage movie palace has seen little change in form or function since the 1920s.
Tamástslikt Cultural Institute
Pendleton, Oregon

Tamástslikt Cultural Institute

The only Native American museum along the Oregon Trail, run by the peoples who have lived on the land for generations.
Modern mooncakes for sale in San Francisco's Chinatown.
food

Did Mooncakes Help the Chinese Overthrow the Mongols?

On the enduring power of myth and metaphor.
Natasha Frost August 11, 2017
Bankhead
Bankhead, Alberta

Bankhead Ghost Town

The ruins of the "20-year town" lay out among the mountains of Alberta.
The forearm, found in Somerset, England.
ancient cults

Why Some Ancient Cannibalism May Have Been Ritualistic Rather Than Culinary

A mystery to sink your teeth into.
Natasha Frost August 10, 2017
Dual-time clock at the Bristol Exchange
Bristol, England

Corn Exchange Dual-Time Clock

The unusual clock on this 18th-century market building has an extra minute hand for "Bristol time."
The covered bridge where it all started
Sheffield, Massachusetts

Thom Reed UFO Monument Park

The site of the first "historically true" UFO encounter in the U.S.
A U.S. Army Air Force De Havilland Canada Mosquito, flown in 1945.
airplanes

Found: 20,000 World War Two Aircraft Blueprints

They might be used to rebuild and launch a Mosquito plane for the first time since 1949.
Natasha Frost August 9, 2017
A room built into north wall serves as an extra kitchen for dining al fresco.
Coreglia Antelminelli, Italy

La Rocca

An 11th-century mountaintop fortress that played a crucial role in Italy's papal wars is now a vacation rental.
The Mayflower Pub.
London, England

The Mayflower Pub

The London pub overlooks where the Mayflower was moored before setting sail for the New World.
Detail from a sixth-century B.C. water vessel in the Louvre shows soldiers fighting.
astronomy

Was the First Eclipse Prediction an Act of Genius, a Brilliant Mistake, or Dumb Luck?

It is hard to predict an eclipse when you think the world is flat.
Natasha Frost August 8, 2017
The abandoned village on Hirta.
Outer Hebrides, Scotland

Hirta Island Ghost Town

The last inhabitants of one of the U.K.'s most remote islands were evacuated in 1930.
The Georgetown Steam Plant.
Seattle, Washington

Georgetown Steam Plant

A frozen relic of Seattle's hydroelectric boom is now a teaching facility for future engineers.