Explore 21 Sin week Collections - Atlas Obscura
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Sin Week
July 10–14

Sin Week

July 10–14

<em>Scenes From the Lives of the Desert Fathers (Thebaid)</em> by Fra Angelico, 1420.
monks

Before Sloth Meant Laziness, It Was the Spiritual Sin of Acedia

And why early monks in the desert didn't want to fall asleep during the day.
Kelsey Kennedy July 14, 2017
Okay, okay, yes, CUTE.
animals

Your Votes Are In: Sloths Are Cute

Never mind the latrine thing, sloths are pretty darn amazing.
Sarah Laskow July 14, 2017
art

The Story of the 'Portofess,' the Prank Confessional Booth at the 1992 Democratic Convention

Artist Joey Skaggs fooled everyone and pedaled off.
Sarah Laskow July 14, 2017
Do these table legs turn you on?
victorian

No, Victorians Didn't Cover Up Table Legs Because They Were Too 'Sexy'

Debunking an admittedly adorable myth.
Eric Grundhauser July 14, 2017
Chauffeurs relaxing next to a Minerva, France.
cars

The Insolent Chauffeurs of America's Early Automobile Era

The media criticized drivers for off-the-clock joyrides, corruption, and running people over.
Joseph Hayes July 14, 2017
Instead of touching yourself, eat this.
food

The Inspiration for the Graham Cracker Was a Preacher Obsessed With 'Curing' Masturbation

He believed in eating like the original vegetarians: Adam and Eve.
Jonathan Parks-Ramage July 14, 2017
An English funeral scene, 1733.
food

The Worst Freelance Gig in History Was Being the Village Sin Eater

Sin eaters risked their souls to soak up the misdeeds of the dead.
Natalie Zarrelli July 14, 2017
The original Procter & Gamble logo on a plaque.
occult

When 1980s Satanic Panic Targeted Procter & Gamble

The company spent decades battling false claims that it was in league with the Devil.
Robert Skvarla July 13, 2017
This Ursuline convent was the setting for an exposé and was torn down by an angry mob.
sacred spaces

Salacious Convent Exposés Were the Most Popular Books in Antebellum America

Protestant authors loved to imagine the secret sins of Catholics.
Sarah Laskow July 13, 2017
Apple pie with cheddar cheese and bacon bits.
food

The Long, Storied Controversy Over Cheese on Apple Pie

Some love it. Some hate it. Some have no idea what it is.
Michael Waters July 13, 2017
Michelangelo Caetani's cross-section of Hell, 1855.
maps

Mapping Dante's Inferno, One Circle of Hell at a Time

A topography of torment.
Anika Burgess July 13, 2017
prostitution

The Wartime Posters That Tried to Shame Soldiers Away From STDs

“You can’t beat the Axis if you get VD.”
Kelsey Kennedy July 12, 2017
The view down Monmouth Street in Newport, Kentucky, 1946.
crime

How Newport, Kentucky, Lost the Title of 'Sin City'

Before there was Vegas, there was another American hot spot for bad behavior.
Eric Grundhauser July 12, 2017
A 16th-century German woodcut depicting the uselessness of chastity belts. (They can have more than one key.)
medieval

Everything You've Heard About Chastity Belts Is a Lie

Including their very existence.
Sarah Laskow July 12, 2017
A sloth getting comfy in a tree.
animals

Sloths: Cute or Disgusting?

There are strong arguments both ways.
Sarah Laskow July 12, 2017
Photographer Frances Benjamin Johnston, holding a cigarette and a beer stein, in her <em>Self Portrait (as "New Woman")</em>, 1896.
history

Where the Cocktail Party Came From

It has surprisingly feminist origins.
Laura Carlson July 11, 2017
A 17th-century chef surrounded by foods of the day.
food

Competitive Eating Was Even More Gluttonous and Disgusting in the 17th Century

For the Great Eater of Kent, it was all ale-soaked bread and wheelbarrows of tripe.
Eric Grundhauser July 11, 2017
Studies of the fetus in the womb, by Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1510-13.
science

Why It Took Scientists So Long to Figure Out Where Babies Come From

Human conception was still basically a total mystery until as recently as 1875.
Edward Dolnick July 11, 2017