462 Items Tagged

Mystery

The "Point Reyes", a vessel known locally as the Inverness Shipwreck in Tomales Bay north of San Francisco.

Wonder Is Everywhere: The Cosmic Dust Curator, a Secret Ancient Forest, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.

April White January 19, 2024

Alet-les-Bains, France

L'église de Saint-Salvayre

This mysterious church sits discreetly above the Aude countryside, right in the heart of "Grail Country."

No one has ever solved the mystery of the Bell Witch.

2023 Was a Year Full of Mysteries

Our favorite tales of puzzles and perplexities.

Diana Hubbell December 29, 2023

Over time water has a way of turning wrecks into otherworldly archaeological sites.

The Year in Wrecks, Lost Ships, and Underwater Discoveries

From unexpected treasure in Ukraine to a unique relic of the American Revolution, Captain Santa’s lost ship to digital dugouts.

Gemma Tarlach December 27, 2023

Ghost Buddha

The origin of this bizarre, ghostly idol is a local mystery, even to the temple it calls home.

Boston, Massachusetts

Charles River Esplanade Pi Plaque

Dedicated to the neverending mathematical constant, this plaque next to a park bench was sponsored by an anonymous benefactor.

Jacopo Guarana’s fresco ‘Concert of the Putte’ (1776-77).

The Lost Aria Rediscovered in Venice's Ospedaletto After 250 Years

A fresco at the historic refuge leads a musicologist to a composition not heard for centuries—and the determined young women who once performed it.

Marica S. Tacconi December 11, 2023

A popular tourist destination since becoming a filming location for Game of Thrones, The Dark Hedges is a road enveloped by beech trees in County Antrim, Northern Ireland.

Wonder Is Everywhere: Avian Love, Medieval Myths, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.

April White December 8, 2023

A fast gift doesn't have to be a sloppy gift.

Last-Minute Gifts for Curious People

It’s never too late to inspire fascination about the world.

Danielle Hallock December 7, 2023

Newfoundland, known for its thick fog and beautifully stark landscape, seems a fitting locale for the mysterious 'Isle of Demons,' said to exist just off Newfoundland's northern tip.

The Phantom Island That Haunted 16th-Century Newfoundland

The ‘Isle of Demons' was said to be overrun with ghosts and ghouls.

Shoshi Parks December 7, 2023

Herds of glacier mice, which are actually moss balls, move in concert across the ice.

Herds of Mysterious ‘Glacier Mice’ Baffle Scientists

These moss balls move in unison, and researchers are okay with not knowing why.

Roxanne Hoorn December 7, 2023

Following the introduction of chemical weapons in World War I and into the World War II era, concerns about unseen dangers spread to the homefront.

Airing Out the Mystery of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon

What a strange spate of "gas attacks" tells us about what was really lurking in mid-century America.

Colin Dickey December 4, 2023

This year, celebrate the Icelandic <em>Jólabókaflóðið</em>, which means “Christmas book flood.”

Bookish Gifts for Literature Lovers

A giving guide from the Atlas Obscura team.

Gemma Tarlach November 27, 2023

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Twelve Faces

AO Puzzles November 27, 2023

conspiracy theories

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 2

The mysterious tragedy of the Dyatlov Pass Incident gets an explanation—but not necessarily one everyone accepts.

The Podcast Team November 22, 2023

conspiracy theories

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 1

The tragedy and mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident has captured imaginations for decades.

The Podcast Team November 21, 2023

10-Yen Vending Machines

Perhaps the world's cheapest vending machines.

A wild vervet monkey, native to Africa, dines near the Fort Lauderdale International Airport rental car area in 2021.

Wonder Is Everywhere: An Accidental Mummy, a Murdered Tree, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.

April White October 13, 2023