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Nepal’s flag is the only national flag in the world that is not a rectangle.
design

5 Weird Tales from the World of Vexillology

That is to say, flags.
April White June 14, 2024
Bergen, Norway

Heksestein (The Witch Stone)

A memorial to 350 people burned at the stake for witchcraft.
New Orleans, Louisiana

Free People of Color Museum

In 1810, free people of color made up more of New Orleans's population than any other Southern city.
After a 1906 killing, a half-century battle followed.
murder

A Murderous Gravestone Grudge Carved a New Law Into Stone

When murder won’t rest in peace.
Max Longley January 11, 2024
Florence, Arizona

McFarland State Historic Park

Florence's historic adobe county courthouse was turned into a historic site that honors one of Arizona's most prominent political leaders.
Anchorage, Alaska

Diamond Jim's Liquor Store Sign

A quirky roadside sign was the subject of a years-long legal standoff over highway right-of-way clearances. 
Stretching between the 16th and 18th centuries, the Scottish witch trials were among Europe’s longest and most deadly.
witchcraft

Isobel Gowdie and the Untold History of the Scottish Witch Trials

Some experts estimate as many as 3,000 people were accused and executed for witchcraft in Scotland.
Sarah Durn October 31, 2023
Lewisburg, West Virginia

Greenbrier County Courthouse

Step into the courtroom to learn details of the only case in history where ghostly testimony led to a murderer's conviction.
All Illustrations by Molly Magnell
art

The Extremely Enchanting, Totally Perplexing, Possibly Never-Ending Quest for the Golden Owl

For 30 years, this labyrinthine treasure hunt has had thousands of players cracking codes and digging up the French countryside. After a sudden death and bitter disputes, will the prize ever be found?
Phil Hoad September 18, 2023
murder

Podcast: Yellowstone's Zone of Death

Can a legal loophole make it possible to get away with murder?
The Podcast Team April 5, 2023
Central Islip, New York

The Gallery of Shorthand

A museum that houses a collection of stenography machines plus dozens of books, photographs, and guides to shorthand languages from around the world.
French painter Jacques Majorelle, who designed the buildings and gardens now known as Jardin Majorelle, trademarked its striking color before his death in 1962.
art

What Does It Mean to Trademark a Color?

The signature shade of Marrakesh's Jardin Majorelle is legally protected—but the deep blue hue is also common in Moroccan culture.
Annie Hariharan January 27, 2023
Lowriders are generally customized by their owners. The "SJ" on this '63 Chevy Impala is short for San Jose. The car owner also chose the color teal to celebrate the San Jose Sharks hockey team.
automotive history

After a Decades-Long Ban, San Jose's Lowriders Are Ready to Cruise Again

This vibrant culture never faded away in the city's Mexican American community.
Line Sidonie Talla Mafotsing November 18, 2022
On March 3, 1913, thousands of women marched along Pennsylvania Avenue, one of the earliest protest marches in the nation's capital.
politics

Mary Edwards Walker and the Queer Suffragists Who Changed History

They wore pants, advocated for free love, and refused to back down.
Sarah Durn July 20, 2022
Research suggests that cats, solitary night hunters, are one of the greatest causes of bird mortality worldwide—a bigger threat than window and building collisions.
animals

In Iceland, Cats Face Curfews and Bans Aimed at Curtailing Their Murderous Ways

The cat-loving island nation is redefining its relationship with the 'elegant assassins.'
Egill Bjarnason June 13, 2022
The original courtroom
Sioux Falls, South Dakota

Minnehaha County Courthouse Original Courtroom

At the turn of the 20th century, the Minnehaha County courthouse played host to sensational public divorce trials.
Hiroshi Igushi, principal of Kamiyama Elementary School in Ichinomiya, Japan demonstrates the use of a <em>sasumata</em>, the same day he actually used one to subdue an intruder.
weapons

In Japan, School ‘Intruder’ Drills Are Full-Contact and Unpredictable

In response to safety concerns, teachers and staff are trained to subdue and disarm.
Allan Richarz May 13, 2022
prisons

Podcast: The Rotary Jail Museum

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
The Podcast Team April 13, 2022