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The 1975 Hollerin' Contest in Spivey's Corner, North Carolina.
music

The Rise and Fall of North Carolina's National Hollerin' Contest

Hollers are sort of like the yodels of the American South.
Emily Cataneo September 25, 2020
Elizabeth's letter includes a sign-off Heller saw in one of Austen's own letters: Initials, and a particular spelling of the phrase, "Yours affectionately."
literature

How a Team of Calligraphers Brought Jane Austen's Fictional Letters to Life

You can now hold Mr. Darcy's dispatches in your hands.
Jessica Leigh Hester September 23, 2020
The wreck is just two nautical miles from the town of Sisal.
shipwrecks

Found: The Wreck of a Ship That Carried Enslaved Maya from Mexico to Cuba

This slave trade is well known to historians, but this is the first known wreck from it.
Matthew Taub September 23, 2020
A prehistoric fish found itself in a medieval shipwreck, recent underwater archaeology has revealed.
shipwrecks

How a King's Feast of Sturgeon Sank to the Bottom of the Baltic Sea

In 1495, a fire destroyed a stately ship and sank a big fish.
Isaac Schultz September 23, 2020
Video

See the Mysterious Horned Helmet of Henry VIII

4:00
During the Bengal Famine, rice was precious, but not necessarily scarce.
food

A ‘Forgotten Holocaust’ Is Missing From Indian Food Stories

One of Bengal’s greatest tragedies is overlooked in the West. It’s missing from cookbooks and food writing, too.
Sharanya Deepak September 17, 2020
For 56 years, Molter lived a mostly solitary life on Knife Lake.
nature

Minnesota's 'Root Beer Lady' Lived Alone in a Million-Acre Wilderness

The "loneliest woman in America" brewed root beer for thousands of visitors.
Terri Peterson Smith September 16, 2020
Charles Sledge: a police detective by day, a tamale master the rest of the time.
food

The Detective on the Case of the Perfect Hot Tamale

In the Mississippi Delta, a tragedy inspired Charles Sledge, police detective, down a tamale-making path.
Justin Fornal September 14, 2020
A view of Kilroot Power Station from Fisherman's Quay.
Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland

Fisherman’s Quay

A glimpse into the last days of a once-booming past fishing industry.
Vicolo Inferno
Imola, Italy

Vicolo Inferno

Also known as "Hell Alley," this tiny street in Imola gained its name in a bloody episode in the 16th-century.
The SINCE 9/11 World Trade Center Artwork, with the London Aquatic Centre behind it.
London, England

World Trade Center Artwork

This sculpture, residing in a quiet corner of a London park, honors the victims of 9/11.
Henrietta Gomez and Gilbert Suazo, Sr., receive a Taos Pueblo squash in 2018.
food

Centuries After Their Loss and Theft, Native American Seeds Are Reuniting With Their Tribes

They are being recovered from seed banks, university vaults, and museum shelves.
María Paula Rubiano A. November 2, 2022
Elizabeth Jennings in 1855.
transportation

The Story of the Teacher Who Desegregated New York Transit

In 1854, Elizabeth Jennings was forcibly kicked off a horsecar. Her fight changed the city.
Jerry Mikorenda September 7, 2020
"Portrait of a Mathematician" by Mary Beale (left); a 1702 portrait of Isaac Newton by Godfrey Kneller (right).
paintings

The Mystery of the Missing Portrait of Robert Hooke

He was a famed 17th-century scientist. Isaac Newton was one of his rivals.
Atlas Obscura September 4, 2020
Norfolk, Virginia

Mary Hardy MacArthur Memorial

The childhood home of the famous general's mother is now a small, walled garden.
observatories

Inside a Historic Observatory That Almost Went Up in Flames

Lick Observatory in California has lived to see another starry night.
Isaac Schultz September 3, 2020
A portrait of Jang Gye-hyang hangs in the Eumsik-Dimibang Exhibition Center.
food

The Oldest Cookbook in Korean Was Written by a Genius Noblewoman

A poet and artist, she penned the recipes in her old age.
Hahna Yoon September 3, 2020
This pretty <em>Guaiacum</em> probably didn't alleviate syphilis—though many people thought plants in the genus did.
trees

A 1500s ‘Miracle Cure’ Made From Trees Probably Didn't Cure Syphilis

A new exhibit at the Newberry library touches on the history of guaiacum treatments.
Jessica Leigh Hester September 2, 2020