The Best of Atlas Obscura
20+ most popular Atlas Obscura articles, as voted by our community.
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New this Week
These are fresh off the press.
Do Colder or Warmer Places Eat More Spicy or Bland Food?
The correlation between temperature and flavor is obvious across the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
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The Low Down on the Greatest Dictionary Collection in the World
From "unabridged" to "slanguage," Madeline Kripke's library is a logophile's heaven (or hell).
The Family Recipes That Live On in Cemeteries
Around the world, recipe gravestones tell stories of love, grief, and remembrance.
Atlas Obscura on Astrology
The Long, Extremely Witchy History of Telling the Future With Eggs
From ancient Greece to the Salem Witch Trials.
Atlas Obscura on Board Games
The Utilitarian Pleasures of Playing Board Games By Yourself
It's a movement made for the moment.
Atlas Obscura on Chess
How Did the Chess Pieces Get Their Names?
One player’s pawn is another’s farmer. And at one time, the queen was the virgin, and rather powerless.
Atlas Obscura on Culture
The Elusive, Maddening Mystery of the Bell Witch
A classic ghost story has something to say about America—200 years ago, 100 years ago, and today.
Saving the Mystery Symbols Carved into Australia's Boab Trees
Researchers are rushing to document the Indigenous art before it is lost to time and climate change.
Atlas Obscura on Food
How Chinese Food Won Over the World
Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Cheuk Kwan tells a story of innovation and survival.
Atlas Obscura on History
Is There Sunken Treasure Beneath the Treacherous Currents of Hell Gate?
In the heart of New York City, a centuries-long hunt for Revolutionary War–Era gold.
The Earthshaking History of San Francisco's Quake Shacks
You can still spot these tiny reminders of the 1906 earthquake in the city today.
Atlas Obscura on LGBTQIA
The Founder of America's Earliest Lesbian Bar Was Deported for Obscenity
Eve Adams was eventually murdered at Auschwitz.
Atlas Obscura on Mythology
Atlas Obscura on Nature
During an Annular Eclipse, Look to the Shadows
While some people in the Western Hemisphere will witness a "ring of fire" during the eclipse, many more will experience the phenomenon of crescent sunlight.
Inside Greenland's Misunderstood Winter Delicacy
Kiviaq, a mainstay on many "weird foods" lists, is an incredible feat of fermentation and cultural touchstone.
Atlas Obscura on Tea
Japan’s First Tea Tree
In the oldest zen temple stands a descendant of the very tree that introduced tea to Japanese culture.
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How a Self-Trained Italian Blacksmith Built Himself an Amusement Park
Bruno Ferrin made a wonder in the woods by hand and by chance.
Inside America's Premier Black Rodeo, A Celebration of Cowboy Culture
A photographer captures perseverance and pride over a decade of the Bill Pickett Invitational Rodeo.
When Every Ketchup But One Went Extinct
The main casualty of the catsup war was flavor.
Letters from the Loneliest Post Office in the World
A story of Antarctic adventure seekers, stamp collectors, politics, and penguins.
Grapefruit Is One of the Weirdest Fruits on the Planet
From its name, to its hazy origins, to its drug interactions, there's a lot going on beneath that thick rind.
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