Stories - Atlas Obscura

Air Conditioning Caused the Fire That Claimed Brazil's National Museum

And budget cuts allowed it to spread.

Chicago Has Become the Nerve Center of Competitive Pinball

Experience the thrill of multiball mayhem and the agony of a double drain.

In India, the British Hyped Potatoes to Justify Colonialism

The British East India Company handed out seeds and bribes to farmers willing to grow the humble spud.

Norway Will Finally Return Thousands of Artifacts to Easter Island

Sculptures, weapons, and human skulls will soon go back to the South Pacific.

For Sale: An Abandoned, Decaying Fort on a Private Island

Won't someone, anyone, buy Fort Montgomery?

Found: A Gold Coin From Britain's Roman Revolt

Allectus only reigned for three years, but here he is, nearly two millennia later.

21 Rare Skills That Could Become Your Newest Hobby

Find your next passion, as recommended by Atlas Obscura readers.

dynamic diasporas

How Basque Food Got to Northern Nevada

It all started with the Gold Rush.

For Sale: The Entire Town of Story, Indiana

For $3.8 million, you can write the next chapter.

The Haunting Beauty of the Reconsecration of Shinto Shrines

Photographer Yukihito Masuura spent more than a decade documenting rituals that connect past and present.

What a Blanket Made With Dog Hair Can Tell Us About Indigenous Communities in the Pacific Northwest

The Coast Salish wool dog has been extinct for a little over a century.

Researchers at This Base in Antarctica Eat Better Than You Do

And the chef does it with just one food shipment a year.

Found: Hot Pink ‘Pagodas’ at the Bottom of the Sea

A deep-sea expedition uncovers a candy-colored oasis off the Gulf of California.

The Promise and Perils of Resurrecting Native Americans’ Lost Crops

Who owns ancient seeds?

Found: The Last Survivor of the Atlantic Slave Trade

Research has placed a new name in a special place on the list of 'Clotilda' survivors.

The Beloved Japanese Novelist Who Became a Queer Manga Icon

Nobuko Yoshiya’s stories of frustrated, forbidden love helped establish a genre read by millions.

You Can Apply to Spend a Month Making Art in a Utah Ghost Town

Welcome to Cisco.

Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the ‘Olympics of Hula’

Hawaiʻi's Merrie Monarch Festival is arguably the most prestigious event of its kind.