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Hidden Wonders

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Ancient hieratic graffiti at the Step Pyramid complex
Place of the Day

South Pavilion Graffiti

Badrshein, Egypt

The oldest tourist graffiti in the world helped archaeologists identify the Pyramid of Djoser.

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  • The Center of Google Earth mural in Chanute, Kansas.

    Chanute, Kansas

    Center of Google Earth Mural

    A Google software engineer's Easter egg led to what may be the world's most unusual saved screenshot.

    I
    Added By
    Ian Lefkowitz
  • Marker at the birthplace of Johnny Appleseed

    Leominster, Massachusetts

    Birthplace of Johnny Appleseed

    The proud hometown of an American legend has honored their favorite son with what seems to be a gravestone.

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    Added By
    kensears37
  • Reykjavik, Iceland

    Þúfa

    This earthwork installation sits on a grassy hill, celebrating Iceland's past and present.

    H
    Added By
    hellodawntaylor
  • Birthplace of F. Scott Fitzgerald

    Saint Paul, Minnesota

    Birthplace of F. Scott Fitzgerald

    The literary king of the Jazz Age was born in this lovely Minnesota home which still honors his legacy.

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    Added By
    Jared Steed
  • Lamb suya pairs perfectly with a multinational riff on jollof rice.

    Los Angeles, California

    Ilé

    Hidden in a Hollywood apartment, this restaurant takes diners on a gastronomic journey through West Africa.

    T
    Added By
    Tara Shepherd
  • From the water

    Lisbon, Portugal

    Rhinoceros of Belem Tower

    A king's pet, a pope's gift, an artist's inspiration, and a tragic shipwreck.

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    Added By
    Annetta Black
  • The Hole of Horcum

    Saltergate, England

    Hole of Horcum

    Legend says that Wade the Giant scooped up a handful of earth to throw at his wife, leaving behind this round valley.

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    Added By
    Alan Newman
  • Los Angeles, California

    The Palms Rooftop Hot Dog

    This beloved, whimsical weiner topped an eclectic variety of Los Angeles buildings, including a Thai restaurant and an advertising agency.

    S
    Added By
    sydneyliv
  • One of the volunteers keeping the place tidy

    Hoogersmilde, Netherlands

    Zendstation Smilde Replica

    For a moment, you could think there are two identical communication towers in a row, but one of them is made out of PVC.

    J
    Added By
    jschrlmr
  • Lynton Convict Hiring Depot

    Yallabatharra, Australia

    Lynton Convict Hiring Depot

    This remote outpost hosts the remains of one of Australia's key sites in the history of convicted laborers.

    O
    Added By
    Obscuravibes
  • The top of the Stairway to Heaven Memorial.

    London, England

    Stairway to Heaven Memorial

    An inverted staircase above the entrance to the Bethnal Green Underground Station functions as a memorial for people who lost their lives during the worst civilian disaster in the U.K. during World War II.

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    Dark Nebula Deluxe
  • The 12 zodiac animals are portrayed as deities here.

    Tokyo, Japan

    The Zodiac Gods of Horikiri

    All 12 animals of the Chinese zodiac are depicted in anthropomorphized deity form.

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    Added By
    Fred Cherrygarden
  • A crowd of statues

    Taoyuan, Taiwan

    Garden of the Generalissimos

    A Taiwanese garden teems with the retired statues of the island's former dictator.

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    Getty Hesse
  • “Timber Tina” Scheer grew up in Hayward, Wisconsin, the home of Lumberjack World Championships, and has competed and performed since childhood.

    Trenton, Maine

    Timber Tina’s Great Maine Lumberjack Show

    This high-octane event honors Maine’s legacy as the birthplace of logging in the U.S.

    V
    Added By
    Virginia Brown
  • Puffins thrive off the coast of Maine thanks to a 1970s effort called Project Puffin.

    Rockland, Maine

    Project Puffin Visitor Center

    Learn about the history and hopeful future of Maine’s nesting birds at this interactive Audubon facility.

    V
    Added By
    Virginia Brown
  • Seguin Light Station, the highest off of Maine’s coast, was established in 1795.

    Phippsburg, Maine

    Seguin Island Light Station

    George Washington commissioned this centuries-old lighthouse off the coast of Maine.

    V
    Added By
    Virginia Brown
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Beware the Demon Cat!

animals

Why the U.S. Capitol's 'Demon Cat' Legend Is So Persistent

A lot of it has to do with paw prints.

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Written By
Eric Grundhauser
March 13, 2018
  • Don't believe the hype about object 2024 PT5 being a "mini-moon." We have only one moon, seen here during the Artemis I mission in 2022.

    astronomy

    Our 'Mini-Moon' 2024 PT5 Is Mini—But It's Not a Moon

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  • The sudden disappearance of a country of 4.7 million people.

    maps

    Why Is New Zealand So Often Left Off World Maps?

    By Natasha Frost

  • Hyde Park Picture House is the last cinema in the world to be lit by gas lamps.

    theaters

    How to Ensure the Last Gas-Lamp Theater in the World Doesn’t Blow Up

    By Jenny Elliott

  • Nineteenth-century illustrator George Cruikshank depicted indigestion as torment by imps.

    medieval

    Does Our Stomach Define Who We Are?

    By Andrew Coletti

  • The limestone canopic jars of lady Senetnay featured lids shaped like human heads. Two jars are kept at the Museum August Kestner in Hanover, Germany.

    mummies

    Get a Whiff of Ancient Egypt’s 'Scent of Eternity'

    By Roxanne Hoorn

  • Germany’s North and Baltic Seas are littered with munitions from World War I and World War II.

    military history

    Bombs Litter the Baltic Sea—Now Robots Are on Cleanup Duty

    By Paul Hockenos

  • The pawpaw has a brief seasonal window, from September to October.

    food

    Foraging for America's Forgotten Fruit

    By Sam O'Brien

This 1882 engraving of Ragnarok, the Viking doomsday, shows Odin mounted on a horse and fighting the wolf Fenrir.

vikings

7 Stories That Show Just How Metal the Nordics Are

From Viking werewolves to snacking on pickled ram's testicles, Europe's northernmost countries are badass.

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Written By
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  • The smell of baking pretzels at an Auntie Anne's is an inescapable part of their branding.

    science

    How Chain Restaurants Use Smells to Entice Us

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  • The mummies of Tarim Basin are up to 3,600 years old.

    mummies

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  • Foxfire is the bioluminescence created by some species of fungi that grow on decaying wood, like this Omphalotus nidiformis, or ghost fungus.

    bioluminescence

    Foxfire Brings Magical Light to the Dark Forest

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  • For more than a century, people have traveled to Amherst to see where Emily Dickinson lived.

    tourism

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