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Kamakura, Japan

Grave of Yasujirō Ozu

The legendary Japanese filmmaker’s tombstone is marked by a single letter meaning “nothing," and bottles of sake.
Written by Amelia Parenteau
food

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

Revel in Réveillon all December long in the Crescent City.
Traditional wooden nutcrackers await the finishing touches at the Füchtner family workshop in Germany, where the iconic style is said to have originated.
toys

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.
Carole Rosenblat December 5, 2023
<em>Comparison</em>, 1892, by British-Dutch artist Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema.
women

Sentiment Albums Hold the Seeds of Modern Fandom

These socially connected, multimedia 18th-century assemblages were more than the sum of their parts.
Elizabeth Minkel December 4, 2023
Following the introduction of chemical weapons in World War I and into the World War II era, concerns about unseen dangers spread to the homefront.
poison

Airing Out the Mystery of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon

What a strange spate of "gas attacks" tells us about what was really lurking in mid-century America.
Colin Dickey December 4, 2023
A holiday gift guide for wonderfully weird individuals.
science

A Curious Collection of Weird Gift Ideas

May your holidays dazzle and bewilder.
Danielle Hallock December 1, 2023
Itinerary

10 Reasons Why You Should Visit the Bradenton Area

From a towering mastodon skeleton to a funky art village and a serene riverwalk, here are supercool stops in the Friendly City.
The floating Christmas market in Leiden, Netherlands.
architecture

6 Surprising Stories About Shopping

What you really need this store-hopping season are tales about the “Aisle of Shame” and the shop cats of Hong Kong.
April White December 1, 2023
The historic Japanese Village of Ayutthaya, where Guyomar grew up, displays a wax figure and portrait of Guyomar in the royal kitchens.
dessert

The Tragic and Inspiring Story of the 'Queen of Thai Desserts'

From countess to political prisoner to palace chef, Maria Guyomar de Pinha lived a life fit for the screen.
Andrew Coletti November 30, 2023
Mardi Gras World
List

9 Places To Find Wonder And Whimsy In New Orleans

A family-friendly tour of marvelous and magical Crescent City culture.
museums

Podcast: They Also Ran Gallery

Celebrate presidential politics—with the ones who lost.
The Podcast Team November 28, 2023
Seelisberg, Switzerland

Rütli Meadow

This scenic spot is known as the birthplace of Switzerland.
Camp Century trench construction in 1960. Caption reads "Metal arch forms being emplaced over undercut trench."
science

Wonder Is Everywhere: Viking Hoaxes, a Secret Nuclear Ice Base, and More From Around the Web

Get a peek into what we’re obsessed with right now.
April White November 22, 2023
conspiracy theories

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 2

The mysterious tragedy of the Dyatlov Pass Incident gets an explanation—but not necessarily one everyone accepts.
The Podcast Team November 22, 2023
Antonito, Colorado

El Santuario de los Pobladores

Colorado's oldest church is now home to the largest handmade adobe labyrinth in the world.
conspiracy theories

Podcast: Dyatlov Pass, Part 1

The tragedy and mystery of the Dyatlov Pass Incident has captured imaginations for decades.
The Podcast Team November 21, 2023
An overlooked character on the Victoria ship possibly got to his homeland before the Europeans arrived in theirs.
slavery

Did an Enslaved Man Beat Magellan to Circling the World?

The unsung hero may have also been instrumental in defeating the colonizers.
Kate McMahon November 20, 2023
Sion, Switzerland

Tour des Sorciers

Visit a prison tower used during witch tribunals.