422 Items Tagged

Maps

The hostage drama that took place in this building on Norrmalmstorg in 1973 gave rise to the term “Stockholm Syndrome.” The bank has long since been replaced by a high-end clothing store, but the vaults are still there.

There Are at Least 10 Cities With Their Own Psychological Disorders

Stockholm Syndrome is the most famous, and most relate to tourism or hostage-taking.

Frank Jacobs July 21, 2023

The Globe, also known as the Avicii Arena, inspired the Sweden Solar System.

There’s an Entire Solar System Hiding In Sweden

Get ready for the most peculiar road trip that will help you understand the vastness and emptiness of the solar system—and Sweden.

Frank Jacobs July 14, 2023

Somerset, Pennsylvania

Jenny Globe

This giant, rotating globe was built to celebrate the expansion of a company that makes steam cleaners and pressure washers.

Rama’s Bridge between India and Sri Lanka figures in ancient myths, and can be seen from space, in this case captured from the Space Shuttle Endeavour in 1994.

Sea Cucumber Crime Is a Thing, and This Is Where It’s Happening

A "seafood mafia" is plying the waters between India and Sri Lanka to satisfy China's appetite for an increasingly rare delicacy.

Frank Jacobs July 7, 2023

A map of West Africa features the world's roundest country (which is also the 14th most rectangular). Can you spot it? What about the eighth most rectangular?

What Are the World’s Roundest and Most Rectangular Countries?

Mind-boggling as it is, they're often one and the same.

Frank Jacobs June 30, 2023

The solar system as seen from Voyager 1 on June 22, 2023, via NASA's Eyes simulation. (Not pictured, because it's too small: Earth)

Explore the View From Humanity’s Most Distant Spacecraft

Launched in 1977 and now nearly 15 billion miles from the Sun, Voyager 1 continues its journey at 38,000 miles per hour.

Frank Jacobs June 23, 2023

Mapping Diversity shows the birthplaces of the women who live on as street names in major European cities. “Male” street names outnumber “female" ones 10 to one.

The Most Popular Person in European Street Names Is a Woman

Can you guess who it is?

Frank Jacobs June 16, 2023

Ottawa, Ontario

World of Maps

A rare venue to buy specialty maps.

Data from NASA’s Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite, or ICESat, show elevation across Antarctica. The low elevations on the left side show how the Weddell and Ross Seas were one connected.

Octopuses (and Their DNA) Suggest Antarctica Will Melt Again

Two geographically separate populations of cute cephalopods once mated a very long time ago.

Frank Jacobs June 9, 2023

Screenshot of the wilderness surrounding Buffalo Lake, which is located within the “Zone of Death.”

In the Yellowstone National Park Zone of Death, You Might Legally Get Away With Murder

A 50-square-mile patch of Yellowstone National Park in Idaho might just be the perfect place to commit a crime, thanks to a legal loophole.

The Podcast Team June 3, 2025

It's remarkable how the coldness of space can evoke a tropical dive.

A 19th-Century Family Portrait of Comets

The thrills and horrors of strange heavenly bodies, condensed into one attractive snapshot.

Frank Jacobs June 2, 2023

The Seneca County Courthouse Complex in Ovid, New York, commonly known as “the Three Bears,” is a fine example of the Greek Revival style in the Military Tract, from which both the fad for classical place names and notions of classical architecture spread throughout the country.

Why Does America Have So Many Towns With Classical Names?

There are nearly 100 named "Troy."

Frank Jacobs May 19, 2023

This ancient dodecahedron found in Avenches, Switzerland, once the Roman city of Aventicum.

objects of intrigue

The Mysterious Dodecahedrons of the Roman Empire

The first of many of these puzzling objects was unearthed almost three centuries ago, and we still don't know what they were for.

Frank Jacobs May 12, 2023

There were many hotspots of alleged witch activity in Central Scotland.

Explore This Map of More Than 3,000 Scottish Witches

An Edinburgh University project uses data to track the victims of Scottish "witch-prickers" in the 16th and 17th centuries.

Frank Jacobs May 5, 2023

SS <em>Warrimoo</em> plied a trans-Pacific route from Canada to Australia, which means it crossed both the equator and the international date line on every trip.

The Strange Tale of SS Warrimoo, the Ship That Existed in Two Centuries at Once

On New Year's Eve 1899, the captain of this Pacific liner steamed into history. Or did he?

Frank Jacobs April 28, 2023

Podcast: Moose Boulder

How far would you go to find the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake on the largest island in the largest lake in the United States?

The Podcast Team April 27, 2023

<em>The Vizier's Gambit</em> just doesn't have the same ring to it.

How Did the Chess Pieces Get Their Names?

One player’s pawn is another’s farmer. And at one time, the queen was the virgin, and rather powerless.

Frank Jacobs April 21, 2023

The so-called Edith Deviation follows a natural valley.

Colorado Is Not a Rectangle—It Has 697 Sides

The Centennial State is technically a hexahectaenneacontakaiheptagon.

Frank Jacobs April 14, 2023