The Year in Wonder - Atlas Obscura
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The Year In Wonder
Welcome to the Bright Side

The Year In Wonder

Welcome to the Bright Side

A dragon figure made out of seashells and coral.
List

Our Favorite New Places of 2021

We added more than 1,500 wondrous places to the Atlas this year. Here are the ones that stuck with us.
Atlas Obscura December 30, 2021
the year in wonder

We Asked, You Answered: Wondrous Things That Happened in 2017

Atlas Obscura readers wrote to us about their brightest personal moments from the year.
Sommer Mathis December 29, 2017
The Brooklyn Bridge Elephant Stampede Memorial.
statues

2017's Most Unusual New Memorials and Monuments

Supermarket cats, rainbow crosswalks, tricked-out Jerry Orbach tribute cars, and more.
Cara Giaimo December 29, 2017
This Vietnamese crocodile lizard is just one of 115 new species identified in the Greater Mekong region.
science

The Latest New Species Discoveries From the Greater Mekong

Three mammals, two fish, 11 reptiles, 11 amphibians, and 88 plants, all from the same region.
Eric Grundhauser December 28, 2017
The trunk is hundreds of years old; its roots have been living for almost 10,000 years.
trees

What 2017 Was Like for the World's Oldest Trees

The past 12 months, contemplated in tree time.
Sarah Laskow December 28, 2017
found

The Year in Discovery: The 50 Greatest Finds of 2017

From a lost continent to rare seahorses, explore our interactive map of the year's most wondrous discoveries.
Sarah Laskow and Vittoria Traverso December 27, 2017
Are you feeling lucky?
found

The Luckiest People of 2017

Wins and windfalls of all different varieties.
Natasha Frost December 26, 2017
For 44 years, no one could prove this conjecture.
farms

2017 Was Full of Problems, Here Are Some That Got Solved

Athletic hijabs, cancer cures, magic glasses, and more.
Natasha Frost December 22, 2017
atlas obscura

Travel Advice From 2017's Most Prolific Atlas Obscura Community Member

Dr. Alan Newman added more places to the Atlas this year than anyone else.
Eric Grundhauser December 22, 2017
Mukund Shukla, a research associate at the Gosling Research Institute for Plant Preservation, shows off a wall of micropropagated seedlings.
plants

One of 2017’s Most Exciting Plant Conservation Moments

In Ontario this year, researchers propagated a rare species and released it back into the wild.
Cara Giaimo December 20, 2017
animals

Stingrays, Anteaters, and Orchids: The Year in Newly Discovered Species

Science, please meet this bevy of unusual creatures.
Vittoria Traverso December 20, 2017
gardens

If You Had to Have a Scandal in 2017, Why Not Make It a Charming One?

The highlights of the lowlights.
Natasha Frost December 19, 2017
Families picked their way through the flooded streets of San Juan after Hurricane Maria.
disasters

2017 Brought Disasters, and Brought Out the Best in People

When wildfires, earthquakes, floods, and other crises delivered one wallop after another, bravery, kindness, and creativity fought back.
Jessica Leigh Hester December 18, 2017
London's underground temple from an ancient Roman religious cult is now open to visitors.
temples

11 Places Newly Renovated, Reopened, or Reimagined

The year in getting to peek behind the curtain.
Kerry Wolfe December 18, 2017
manuscripts

The Most Amazing Archival Treasures That Were Recently Digitized

Thousands of priceless images, books, documents, and more are now at your fingertips.
Anika Burgess December 15, 2017
Eight high-achieving animals of 2017.
animals

The Year in Animal Accomplishments

Celebrating 10 of the greatest things creatures did in 2017.
Natasha Frost December 14, 2017
We heard lost songs, endangered languages, and brand new instruments in 2017.
music

The Sweetest Sounds of 2017

From lost languages to rediscovered songs to music made by robots, the year certainly won't go quietly.
Ashawnta Jackson December 14, 2017
Bini the Bunny set one of the most adorable records of the year.
world record

Dancing Robots, Da Vinci, and a Dunking Bunny Highlight the Year in World Records

Feed your feat fetish.
Eric Grundhauser December 14, 2017