The Best of Atlas Obscura
20+ most popular Atlas Obscura articles, as voted by our community.
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Food Innovations That Came from War
Thank Uncle Sam for Cheetos, air fryers, and other modern mainstays.
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
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.
The Woman Preserving the Endangered Cuisine of Indian Jews
Esther David traveled from the spice port of Cochin to the mountains of Mizoram to record this culinary culture.
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
The Earthshaking History of San Francisco's Quake Shacks
You can still spot these tiny reminders of the 1906 earthquake in the city today.
Did Ancient Humans Use Echolocation?
Archaeologists test how our ancestors may have used this (nearly) lost skill to navigate caves and other dark spaces.
Atlas Obscura on India
Meet the 'Devil Chefs' of Kashmir
Families use skills passed down over generations to prepare a special feast.
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
Inside Greenland's Misunderstood Winter Delicacy
Kiviaq, a mainstay on many "weird foods" lists, is an incredible feat of fermentation and cultural touchstone.
The Return of Glen Canyon
As Lake Powell's water levels continue to drop, a stunning landscape resurfaces—along with questions about the future of the Colorado River and those who depend on it.
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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.
When Every Ketchup But One Went Extinct
The main casualty of the catsup war was flavor.
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.
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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