Stories - Atlas Obscura

holidays with a twist

The Weird, Wonderful World of Collecting French Cake Figurines

Porcelain or plastic, Harry Potter or copulating couple, fèves come in all shapes and sizes.

December 8, 2023

Make Thailand’s Golden Thread Dessert

A recipe from the countess who ran the royal kitchens of Siam.

December 8, 2023

Most Canadians Live South of Seattle and Other Map Surprises

We're wrong about directions and locations of many countries.

December 8, 2023

Wonder Is Everywhere: Avian Love, Medieval Myths, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.

December 8, 2023

Share Your Dream Destination and Win a Japan Adventure!

Tell us an amazing place to travel next year, and you could win a remarkable Atlas Obscura experience.

small businesses

Podcast: The Super Museum

Two father-daughter Superman fans have dedicated much of their lives to curating this tiny museum.

December 8, 2023

Last-Minute Gifts for Curious People

It’s never too late to inspire fascination about the world.

December 7, 2023

The Phantom Island That Haunted 16th-Century Newfoundland

The ‘Isle of Demons' was said to be overrun with ghosts and ghouls.

December 7, 2023

Herds of Mysterious ‘Glacier Mice’ Baffle Scientists

These moss balls move in unison, and researchers are okay with not knowing why.

December 7, 2023

Beware the Christmas Cannibal of France

How a whip-wielding butcher became St. Nick's sidekick.

December 6, 2023

historical recipes

How a Midnight Feast Became a Month-Long Dining Extravaganza in New Orleans

Revel in Réveillon all December long in the Crescent City.

All Winter, These Ants Make the Ultimate Sweet Sacrifice to Their Colony

Their syrupy death is medicinal for humans, too.

December 5, 2023

unusual ornaments

Unusual Christmas Ornaments Make the Holidays Weird and Wonderful

From a homemade Harry Potter garden gnome to a vintage scary clown ornament, readers share their favorites.

December 5, 2023

holidays with a twist

The Family Behind the First Traditional Nutcracker Is Still Making Them

Wilhelm Füchtner's iconic 1870s design began a legacy that continues in the same small workshop in Germany's Ore Mountains.

December 5, 2023

Sentiment Albums Hold the Seeds of Modern Fandom

These socially connected, multimedia 18th-century assemblages were more than the sum of their parts.

December 4, 2023

hustlers & heists

The Master Forgers Who Saved Thousands of Lives During World War II

From the Polish embassy in Switzerland came a campaign that spared many from Nazi extermination.

December 4, 2023

We’re Surrounded by Dinosaurs, at Least We Were for a Month or So

A subtle, if temporary, change to one of the world’s biggest websites underscored a modern triumph of paleontology, and how we understand life on Earth.

December 4, 2023

good news from planet earth

Theia and the Collision That Gave Birth to the Moon

Evidence deep within the planet suggests that remnants of Earth's catastrophic twin might still lie below.

December 4, 2023