3899 Items Tagged

History

Cher Ami, a black checker pigeon, earned his fame carrying messages for the American military during World War I. The pigeons recruited by the CIA during the Cold War were trained to undertake more clandestine tasks.

When the CIA Spied on American Citizens—Using Pigeons

The seemingly birdbrained Cold War experiment is still partially classified.

Steven Ewin January 11, 2023

Charles Poston's pyramid tomb.

Florence, Arizona

Poston Butte

The "Father of Arizona" tried to build a Zoroastrian fire temple on the hill where he's now buried.

An exterior view.

Torrey-West House

This mansion on an island off the coast of Georgia once belonged to a 108-year-old heiress.

Edinburgh, Scotland

The Wave of Translation

A plaque commemorates a Victorian scientist's monumental discovery about waves.

Podcast: Chicago Bridge Houses

Where the Windy City’s drawbridge operators nestled in, at the bases of their places of work.

The Podcast Team May 20, 2025

A water tower in Florence, Ky., proudly displays the collective form of address long associated with the American South.

The Origins of 'Y'All' May Not Be in the American South

Now surging in popularity, the iconic pronoun was first used on the other side of the Atlantic in the 17th century.

David Parker January 9, 2023

After an adventurous life, this golden eagle sculpture is again on display at the Lobero Theatre in Santa Barbara, California.

objects of intrigue

The Unbelievable Life of the Lobero Golden Eagle

The sculpture had been shipwrecked, shot at, auctioned off, and lost—twice.

Darcy Rhyno January 6, 2023

Adam Johnson (center) dresses up as Heikki Lunta as part of the Upper Peninsula's Heikinpäivä festival in Hancock, Michigan.

The Dancing Snow God That Brings Blizzards to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula

Heikki Lunta even has his own song.

Daniel Bromfield January 5, 2023

Courtesy of University of Haifa

Podcast: Medical Clowning Program

If you ask these clowns, laughter really is the best medicine.

The Podcast Team January 5, 2023

The Qandahar Citadel, shown here in the 1880s, was destroyed in 1738. The ruins still stand south of the modern city of Kandahar.

What Can We See in the Oldest-Known Photographs of Kandahar?

These 72 images are a rare glimpse of an ancient city lost to time and conflict.

Amy Crawford January 3, 2023

The round ditches.

Salisbury, England

Figsbury Ring

Several Iron Age artifacts were discovered during excavations of this ancient site.

Did Humans Arrive in Micronesia Much Earlier Than We Thought?

Ancient sites such as Nan Madol, the "Venice of the Pacific," may need to be reconsidered thanks to new evidence about sea level change.

Juliet Sefton, Andrew Kemp, and Mark D. McCoy January 3, 2023

The 1910 Gila County Sheriff's Office and Jail

A historic jail preserves etchings from over a century of incarcerated people in a town with a rough and tumble past.

Parker, Arizona

Swansea Ghost Town

One of the best-preserved ghost towns in Arizona speaks to the difficulties of establishing mining towns in the 19th century American West.

Scottsdale, Arizona

The Stand

An open-air, roadside eatery celebrating a historic indigenous cuisine of complicated significance.

English archaeologist Howard Carter is well-known for his discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922. "We really wanted to showcase the Egyptian team, whose hard work has been overlooked for 100 years," says Oxford Egyptologist Daniela Rosenow.

From a Skull to a Kiss, Atlas Obscura's Favorite History Stories of 2022

Ancient Egypt, medieval Middle East, and 19th-century America all saw surprising new histories uncovered this year.

April White December 26, 2022

One of the Lomen brothers, standing amongst the family reindeer.

The Rise and Fall of Alaska's 'Reindeer King'

Carl J. Lomen used legal loopholes and Santa Claus to build his meat business.

Kirstin Fawcett December 23, 2022

How One Woman Retraced Her Ancestry to a Single Enslaved Girl

A family history 300 years in the making.

The Podcast Team October 9, 2025