Stories - Atlas Obscura

The Mona Lisa's Eyes Are Not Following You Around the Room

Maybe the “Mona Lisa effect” needs a new name.

January 8, 2019

Turning Anatomical Drawings Into Mosaics, Stone by Stone

An artist is making massive monuments to medical illustration.

January 8, 2019

Atlas Obscura and The New York Times Journeys Launch Science Weekends

Our new collaboration offers unique three-day experiences, starting in Los Angeles and London in 2019.

January 8, 2019

abraham lincoln

For Sale: A Penny Worth a Fortune

In 1943, copper was supposed to be preserved for the war effort.

January 7, 2019

children's literature

What Children's Story Did You Later Realize Was Awfully Dark and Scary?

Help us compile a list of the world's most delightfully disturbing kids' books.

January 7, 2019

Mapping Old Rail Routes Like Contemporary Subways

They're dreamy.

January 7, 2019

Kashmir's Centuries-Old Weaving Tradition Faces an Uncertain Future

The craft is hanging by a thread.

January 7, 2019

Why Cider Means Something Completely Different in America and Europe

FBI agents, Prohibition, and beer made American cider sweet and sober.

January 7, 2019

Humanity Has Managed to Change Places We've Barely Even Visited

From the Mariana Trench to the Moon, we don't have to be in a place very much to muck it up.

January 4, 2019

How £100 Bought an Obscure British Actor 224 Years of Cake and Fame

Thespians, writers, and princes all dined on Baddeley cake.

January 4, 2019

Is This Duck Kosher? It's Complicated

The case of the Muscovy duck cannot be settled because the rules themselves are not really known.

January 4, 2019

A Visit to One of America's Longest-Running Puppetry Theaters

The Bob Baker Marionette Theater has been serving up laughs and ice cream since 1963.

January 3, 2019

What Does This Alien Minor Planet Look Like?

A peanut? Or maybe a bowling pin?

January 3, 2019

Learning From Local Legends at a Late-Night Assembly

Philadelphia residents came out for a cinematic celebration of their community.

How a Guatemalan Town Tackled Its Plastic Problem

In San Pedro La Laguna, single-use items made from plastic and styrofoam are banned.

January 3, 2019

Help Us Identify the World's Greatest Local Mascots

The more obscure, the better.

January 2, 2019

Step Inside Brazil’s Museu Nacional, Before the Devastating Blaze

A new digital tour helps visitors jump back in time.

January 2, 2019

Exploring the Ruins of a Medieval East African Empire

Kilwa Kisiwani ("Isle of the Fish") was once the heart of Swahili culture and commerce.

January 2, 2019