ancient
The Roman Baths of Caracalla Will Not Be Getting a McDonald's After All
The relationship between Rome's cultural heritage sites and the burger chain is long and contentious.
Articles by Matthew Taub
176
Stories
Stories shared by this traveler.
trees
Redditors Are Stapling Bread to Trees in Sheffield, England
It's only the latest phase of a global phenomenon.
underwater
Meet the Noisy, Head-Butting Marine Worms That Live Near Japan
Their "mouth-fighting" produces one of the loudest underwater sounds ever recorded.
space exploration
For Sale: 200 Extraterrestrial Artifacts That Bring Space Down to Earth
The auction commemorates the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
paintings
The Reunion of Two Halves of a Piece of Paper Ripped Apart by Paul Cézanne
They could help piece together his life and work.
churches
Found: 15 Wallets From the 1940s, Stolen and Stashed Behind a Bathroom Wall
The cash is gone, but a lot of memories remain.
food
The Quest to Revive the Bay Area's Fabled Doggie Diners
One man is determined to get these giant dachshunds smiling down on customers once more.
music
For Sale: 40 Years of Vinyl Singles That Topped the British Charts
Tim Claydon collected each and every No. 1 record released between 1952 and 1992.
mystery
Found: A British Suffragette's Protest Medal in a Bureau Drawer
No one knows how this piece of history ended up there.
hidden
This Lincoln Bible Has Been Hiding for 150 Years
Since 1872, it's been in the custody of a Lincoln-family friend and his descendants.
literature
Sold: A Letter Where Hemingway Complains That He Sucks at Bullfighting
At least it gave him lots of material.
museums
Solved: A Case of Mistaken Identity in a Madrid Art Museum
Auguste Rodin takes his rightful place in the portrait gallery, evicting King Leopold II of Belgium.
science
Found: 20,000-Year-Old Seawater From the Ice Age
It was stored inside limestone beneath the seafloor.
art
These Are the Most Realistic Fish Ever Carved From Wood
The National Fish Decoy Association contest celebrates the best of the best.
monks
These Belgian Monks Are Reopening a Medieval Microbrewery
The operation has been dormant for more than 220 years.
caves
Found: The Earliest Evidence of Humans Cooking and Eating Starch
We were eating rhizomes and tubers as early as 120,000 years ago.
atom bombs
Found: Glass Fallout From the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima
The particles have covered nearby beaches, unnoticed, for nearly 75 years.
music
This Could Be England's Earliest Known Christian Burial
Sixteen years of research have revealed the secrets of a major excavation.
food
Italian Vineyards Are Glowing From the Light of Hundreds of Torches
It's a beautiful, if imperfect, antidote to crop-damaging cold.
parks
The Elite, Poison Ivy–Munching Goats Taking on New York's Invasive Weeds
There's a benefit to being able to eat almost anything.
objects of intrigue
Martha Washington Used a Government Perk to Cancel Her Newspaper
Just four of her "Free Franks"—letters delivered without postage—are known to survive.
skulls
Skull-Shaped Beer Steins Were Once Popular Graduation Gifts
They were part of a broader wave of adventurous stein-craft.
museums
This Lock of Hair Could Tell Us Where da Vinci Is Buried
The location of his remains is in dispute.
secret
Sold: A Vintage Babe Ruth Card Found in a Piano
It went to the tune of $130,000.
