Stories - Atlas Obscura

Women Built London's Waterloo Bridge, But It Took These Photos to Prove It

Uncovering evidence of a long-forgotten history.

September 21, 2018

After Five Years of Living in Trees, a Protest Community Is Being Evicted

They've been trying to stop coal mining in Germany's Hambach Forest.

September 21, 2018

The Nazis Tried and Failed to Build the World’s Largest Stadium

The remains of the giant test model are now overgrown on a hillside near Nuremberg.

September 21, 2018

The Restoration of South Africa's Rain Queen

A teenager will become the country's first tribal queen in almost 50 years.

September 21, 2018

brain collections

Visitors Can Touch Human Brains at This Indian Neuroscience Institute

It's like a petting zoo for organs.

September 21, 2018

The Regional Chinese Cuisine Linked to an Ancient Assassin

A king died after being served up a murderous fish in present-day Suzhou.

September 21, 2018

The Mysterious Bounty of Mobile Bay's Midnight Jubilees

On this stretch of coast, fish unpredictably flock ashore, providing a windfall of seafood.

September 20, 2018

Cuba's National Art Schools Are an Unfinished Masterpiece

The designs fell out of favor before construction was completed.

September 20, 2018

Found: A Pescatarian Praying Mantis

Go big or go home.

September 20, 2018

Saving the Prized Chile That Grows Only in Oaxaca’s Mountains

Farmers growing the smoky pepper had no idea chefs were paying top dollar for it.

September 19, 2018

The Food Truck That Invites You to Be the Cook

These traveling historians are hungry for your life story.

September 19, 2018

Why Helicopters Are Flying Mountain Goats Over Washington State

The salt-loving, tourist-stalking goats of Olympic National Park are moving out.

September 19, 2018

Creating Disneyland Was Like Building a Brand New City

Even Magic Kingdoms need urban planners.

September 19, 2018

A Highway in Cape Town Has Been Left Half-Finished for 40 Years

The spans just stop, mid-air.

September 19, 2018

Tracing Ska Music’s Great Migration

A journey from Jamaica to California, via England.

September 18, 2018

Nikola Tesla Built a Giant Tower to Send Wireless Electricity Around the World

Ultimately, things didn't go as he had planned.

September 18, 2018

The Atlas Obscura Kids' Book Is On Sale Now!

It's packed full of big adventures for small explorers.

September 18, 2018

The Birth and Rebirth of Functionalism in the Czech Republic

The global design phenomenon left a unique and lasting legacy in the country.