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Hob Moor and Plague Stones
York, England

Hob Moor and Plague Stones

When the plague struck York, this stone was used to leave supplies for the sick.
sports

Why Do Tennis Crowds Have to Be So Quiet?

The game's long, weird, elitist history provides some clues.
Dan Nosowitz August 11, 2020
Piscataway, New Jersey

East Jersey Old Town Village

A historic town sits upon the site of a long-lost 18th-century trading community.
Babae’s wine window was the first of Florence's put into use—even before the pandemic.
plague

The Coronavirus Is Bringing Back Florence's Wine Windows

This isn't the first time they've come in handy during a pandemic.
Matthew Taub August 11, 2020
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Mongolian Railway History Museum

A collection of old steam and diesel locomotives sitting in a fenced-off garden.
Although potentially poisonous in raw form, cooked pokeweed has long been a hearty green in Louisiana.
food

The Native-American Origins of Gumbo

While credit for the dish is widely shared, here’s how to choose ingredients that celebrate its Indigenous roots.
Morgan Randall June 9, 2025
A drawing depicting a Jupiter-Saturn conjunction, by Johannes Kepler, December 1603.
science

Astrologers Were the Quants of the Ancient World

Coincidence and correlation in the stars, from the founding of Baghdad to the New York Yankees to COVID-19.
Alexander Boxer August 7, 2020
The shelves and drawers of the Bombay Natural History Society—open to the public only by appointment—display perfectly preserved blood pheasants, moon moths, pangolins, and more.
museums

Inside the Hidden Natural History Museum of Mumbai

Rahul Khot oversees 138,000 specimens at the Bombay Natural History Society.
Kamakshi Ayyar August 7, 2020
There are no known images of Hemings and only a few recipes attributed to the skilled chef, including one for poached meringue.
food

A Rare Recipe From a Talented Chef Enslaved by a Founding Father

Despite James Hemings’s leading role in Jefferson’s kitchen, he’s credited with only a handful of recipes.
Natasha Frost August 6, 2020
Sirogojno, Serbia

Staro Selo Open-Air Museum

This historical village takes you back to the 19th century.
The monolithic Space Age entities are for sale, and surrounded by two stretches of fencing.
cold war

For Sale: A Cold War Bunker and Missile Silo in North Dakota

“It’s the ultimate in social distancing.”
Isaac Schultz August 4, 2020
B-29 ‘Over Exposed’ Crash Site
Glossop, England

B-29 'Over Exposed' Crash Site

The wreck of a B-29 Superfortress now stands as a memorial left in the moors.
Rice cookers are an elegant solution to a tricky task.
food

The Battle to Invent the Automatic Rice Cooker

The biggest names in Japanese technology vied to bring them to market.
Anne Ewbank July 31, 2020
1 O’CLOCK TIME SIGNAL
Sheffield, England

1 O'Clock Time Signal

The once-a-day siren is a reminder of the days before time was standardized.
Binghamton, New York

Roberson Mansion

An allegedly haunted testament to a local businessman's desire for status, posterity, and charity.
Glenwood Institute
Matawan, New Jersey

Glenwood Institute

A condo complex once housed a boarding school with the 24th U.S. Vice President among its notable alumni.
UTSA adapted an image from a 1960 cookbook for their pandemic-era cover.
libraries

A University Is Turning Historical Mexican Recipes Into Free E-Books

The project is meant to inspire home cooks during the pandemic.
Luke Fater July 29, 2020
Don't forget to visit the Tapestry Room.
haunted

For Sale: The Most Haunted Mansion in Ireland

Loftus Hall holds tales of Satan, colonialism, and getting stood up by the Queen.
Matthew Taub July 29, 2020