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Archive Of Wonder

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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.
Roxanne Hoorn September 27, 2024
The world of competitive pumpkin growing has come a long way since 1901, when this giant pumpkin weighed a mere 91 pounds.
mythology

5 Stories to Make You Fall in Love With Autumn

It's the season of harvest-guarding stones and cities of squash.
Roxanne Hoorn September 19, 2024
To ride these contraptions, riders need bravery, tights, and a vest.
victorian

5 Cycling Races Even More Intense Than the Tour de France

Get your penny farthing to the starting line.
April White June 27, 2024
Nepal’s flag is the only national flag in the world that is not a rectangle.
design

5 Weird Tales from the World of Vexillology

That is to say, flags.
April White June 14, 2024
Troy Hartman surfs the skies as his cameraman flies by his side.
lakes

5 Wild Tales of Riding the Waves

Surf’s up from Hawaii to the Great Lakes to the troposphere.
April White May 31, 2024
The diminutive coquí guajón, or Puerto Rican rock frog, lives in the southeastern part of the island. 
dolphins

7 Stories of the World’s Rarest Animals

And the people trying to save these endangered species.
April White May 17, 2024
Verónica Oviedo (center) began the all-female mariachi band Mujer Latina in 2004.
aliens

7 Stories to Toast To Cinco de Mayo

Replace that margarita with vino de cocos.
April White May 3, 2024
When polar bears like this mom and cub wander into Churchill, a small town in a remote northern corner of Canada, they might just end up in "polar bear jail."
science

7 Unbelievable Environmental Stories from Every Continent

An around-the-world tour for Earth Day.
April White April 19, 2024
An adaptation of Banksy’s “Flower Bomber,” this image shows a librarian throwing Margaret Atwood’s <em>The Handmaid's Tale.</em>
libraries

6 Badass Librarians Who Changed History

They will not be shushed.
April White April 5, 2024
The Easter egg tree custom, pictured here in Saalfeld, Germany, has gained some ground in the United States.
graveyards

7 Unexpected Easter Traditions

Why hide eggs when you can hang them on a tree?
April White March 22, 2024
Math and dessert are a match made in heaven.
mathematics

Celebrate Pi Day With These Mathematical Tales

Plus pie recipes, of course.
April White March 8, 2024
A Victorian-era sitter is clamped into position using a metal frame before having his portrait taken.
vampires

7 Crazy True Stories About the Victorian Era

Plus three that are, sadly, just myths.
April White February 23, 2024
Forget the Mahomes and Purdy. There's a whole world of unexpected sports champions out there—such as unicyclist Eli Brill.
sports

12 Amazing Athletic Competitions You Should Be Watching

Plus: More than 100 offbeat destinations for sports fans who can't make it to the big game.
April White February 7, 2024
dinosaurs

As the Year of the Dragon Looms, We See Dragons Everywhere

This Lunar New Year welcomes the Wood Dragon, but these mythic animals never go out of style.
Gemma Tarlach January 29, 2024
Punxsutawney Phil has predicted a longer winter nearly every Groundhog Day.
holiday

A Primer on Both Groundhogs and Hedgehogs

Just in time for their moment in the sun (or not).
April White January 26, 2024
Social campaigners of the 1920s tried to make mocktails glamorous, but today Prohibition is primarily remembered as the era of speakeasies and bootleggers.
poison

7 Wild Stories From the Prohibition Era

The 18th Amendment had some unexpected side effects, from alcohol prescriptions to the rise of NASCAR.
April White January 12, 2024
Swimmers on Coney Island prepare for a plunge on January 1, 1914.
cars

7 Surprising Traditions to Celebrate the New Year

Welcome 2024 with a (lemon) pig or a polar bear (plunge).
April White December 29, 2023
There's a lot about air travel we just don't think about. For instance, why are the seat belts like this?
games

9 Surprising Stories About Air Travel (In Case You're Delayed)

Why are airplane seat belts so weird? And how many words can you make from airport codes?
April White December 15, 2023