Frank Jacobs's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
story
strange maps

Were Egyptians Really the First to Domesticate Cats? Try Cave Men

A map shows the spread of felines by Egyptians, Romans, Vikings—and prehistoric ancestors.
May 24, 2024
story
strange maps

These U.S. Cities Have More Parking Lots Than Housing

They paved paradise again and again and again.
May 17, 2024
story
eels

All Eels in America and Europe Come From the Bermuda Triangle

But no one's ever seen them there.
May 10, 2024
story
globes

The Most Dangerously Populated Latitudes in the World

Impending threats may reverse everything.
May 3, 2024
story
shells

You Can Still Die From World War I Dangers in France's Red Zones

The Great War never ended in some old battlegrounds.
April 26, 2024
story
holes

Dig a Tunnel Through the Center of the Earth to… Where?

If you, hypothetically, ignore the molten lava core.
April 19, 2024
story
natural disaster

Not Even Minnesota Is Safe From Earthquakes

Was the recent New York quake really all that uncommon? Here's a state-by-state map.
April 12, 2024
Gastro Obscura
story
crops

Why Jesus Never Ate a Banana

About 69 percent of the global diet is "foreign," says a study that pinpoints the origin of 151 food crops.
April 5, 2024
story
strange maps

The U.S. Thinks It’s Harder to Learn Polish or Greek Than Swahili or Malay

Here are the difficulty levels of most European languages for Americans.
March 29, 2024
story
statistics

Which States in America Have the Oldest and Youngest People?

Either way, everywhere in the U.S. is seeing a common trend.
March 22, 2024
story
territorial dispute

The U.S. Just Expanded the Size of Two Californias

It’s like another Louisiana Purchase.
March 15, 2024
story
sea monsters

The Most Remote Place on Earth Has Space Junk and a Sea Monster

Eerie things happen at Point Nemo.
March 8, 2024
story
alternate history

New York City and London Could Have Looked Very Different

An airport in midtown? See alternate versions of the cities based on real proposed projects.
March 1, 2024
story
secrets

Swiss Maps Are Full of Hidden Secrets

Find the Easter eggs—or the naked lady.
February 23, 2024
story
fantasy locations

For Hundreds of Years, People Thought California Was an Island

Dozens of maps show cartography's most persistent mistake.
February 16, 2024
story
strange maps

The First Viking Woman to Sail to America Was a Legendary Traveler

Back when the Icelanders called a part of Canada the “land of grapes.”
February 9, 2024
story
geometry

Europe’s Most Active Volcano Is Also the World’s Only Decipoint

The many eruptions isn't the only reason Mount Etna is unique.
February 2, 2024
story
buried treasure

The WWII Treasure Map That Caused A Modern Day Hunt

The question remains: Where is the loot?
January 26, 2024
story
disappearing world

The Frenzy About the Weirdest Continent That Never Existed

Forget Atlantis, the lost land of lemurs had people in a tizzy.
January 19, 2024
story
hot air balloon

Flying Circuses Led to the First Aerial Maps of Earth

There was vomiting, crashes, fire, and an abandoned cat.
January 12, 2024
story
data

A Map of Which States People Want to Stay In, Move To, or Leave

The population data of locals versus new comers is more easy to see than ever.
January 5, 2024
story
teens

Most States Start School Too Early in the Morning

This map shows which parts of the U.S. ignore the science.
December 29, 2023
Gastro Obscura
story
strange maps

This Prohibition-Era Map Is a Love Letter to Alcohol

See dozens of 1920s cocktails from a time when alcohol was illegal in the U.S.
December 22, 2023
story
statistics

Christianity Is Disappearing in England, As Seen in These Maps

See what's taking its place for the first time in almost 1,500 years.
December 15, 2023