154 Items Tagged

Names

Kielce Boar Monument

A large boar commemorates the city's founding and the origin of its name.

small worlds and model towns

Podcast: It’s Getting Hot in Here

A history of Michigan's own personal Hell.

The Podcast Team August 29, 2023

Lincoln, Illinois

Lincoln Watermelon Monument

This colorful monument commemorates a little-known story from the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Danbury, Connecticut

John Oliver Memorial Sewer Plant

After the comedian dissed a Connecticut town on his show, they named a sewage treatment plant after him.

A supermoon over the Rocky Mountains. Two supermoons—a full moon at the orb's closest point to Earth—will occur in August 2023.

8 Amazing Tales of Our Eternal Fascination With the Moon

Inside the race to map, explore, own, and even spend eternity on the lunar surface.

April White July 28, 2023

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Bench of Irony

While seemingly a cruel joke, this bench actually honors an esteemed member of the community who passed away in 2006.

Moffat, Scotland

Devil's Beef Tub

Where the Border Reivers of the Johnstone clan used to hide their stolen cattle.

In Asbury Park, New Jersey, summer visitors are known as "bennies." On the southern Jersey shore, the same visitors are "shoobies."

Are You a Shoobie or a Benny?

When summer visitors arrive, so do the colorful and sometimes perplexing local nicknames.

Laura Kiniry May 26, 2023

Pink Lake in autumn

Gatineau, Québec

Pink Lake

Despite the name, the waters of this Canadian lake are actually blue-green in color.

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

Burgh Saint Peter, England

The Tower of St Mary's Church

The story behind this uniquely-shaped tower involves ancient empires, local legends, and new words.

The "Little Rock"

Little Rock, Arkansas

The "Little Rock"

Yup, that's where the name came from.

Vidar Haslum (center) has been collecting place names in southeastern Norway for decades. He is shown here in the 1980s with farmer Nils Vinsland (left), who was born 1904. He was "one of many good informants," Haslum says.

Meet the Man Collecting Fading Place Names

What do we lose when we forget about locations like "Troll's Cave" and "Window Claw"?

Amy Crawford March 10, 2023

Dueling Lane

In addition to escorting prospective couples to and from ballrooms, this lane was also a place for gentlemen to settle scores.

A British Tommy on the Western Front, circa 1914-1918

Odiham, England

Birthplace of the British Tommy

According to the Soldiers Account Book, the village of Odiham is home to Thomas Atkins, whose name became shorthand for all British soldiers.

Pancake Island, 2022.

Providence, Rhode Island

Gingerbread and Pancake Islands

The origin of these small islands' sweet names is a local mystery.

All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura

Puzzle Monday: What’s in a (Japanese) Name?

Alex Bellos July 4, 2022

The street names in Columbia, Maryland, were drawn from art and literature. "Satan Wood Drive," however, was the result of a typo. It was supposed to be named "satin wood" for a line from an Amy Lowell poem.

What’s Up With Columbia, Maryland’s Quirky Street Names?

From Nodding Night Court to Dove Sail Lane, the town’s address choices are both practical and poetic.

Amy Crawford June 16, 2022