April White's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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secret agent women

The Mexican Revolutionary Who Fought for Freedom on the Battlefield and in the Barroom

Before she became a spy, Petra Herrera went undercover as a man.
March 11, 2022
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secret agent women

A Socialite’s Plot to Assassinate a Corrupt Official in Occupied Shanghai

Zheng Pingru’s scheme involved a fabulous fur coat and ended in tragedy.
March 10, 2022
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secret agent women

The Society Editor Who Just Walked Into Soviet Russia and Started Spying

Marguerite Harrison was the United States’ first female foreign intelligence officer.
March 9, 2022
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secret agent women

A Struggling Actress’s Greatest Role Was as a Real Civil War Spy

Pauline Cushman’s contributions to U.S. war efforts earned her the honorary title of “Major.”
March 8, 2022
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secret agent women

The Invisible, Afflicted Spy Who Led the U.S. Army Into Occupied Manila

As a woman with leprosy, Josefina Guerrero was ignored by Japanese forces as she carried messages of resistance in World War II.
March 7, 2022
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women's history

Writing a New History of Women

To celebrate Women's History Month, Atlas Obscura is telling stories that have been left out of the history books.
March 1, 2022
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civil rights

A New Home for Hundreds of Photographs by the Legendary Gordon Parks

Yale has acquired some of the Black photographer’s best-known images.
February 2, 2022
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clothing

The Archive That Treats Protest Buttons Like Rare Books

Hundreds of pins document a century of progressive causes and cool typography.
January 12, 2022
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newspapers

Meet the Woman Preserving 125 Years of Black History in Baltimore

The “Afro-American” is in her blood.
January 6, 2022
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the year in wonder 2021

From Reclaimed Foodways to Joyous Murals, 2021's Must-Read Black History Tales

We revisit some of the year's stories of resistance, ingenuity, glamor, joy, and home runs.
December 27, 2021
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the year in wonder 2021

Our Search for the World's Best Bragging Rights in Some of Its Most Unusual Competitions

For every talent, there must be a champ. Are you ready for Pêl-Law, lion dancing, or marbles?
December 21, 2021
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the year in wonder 2021

Shipwrecks, Stolen Jewels, and Skull-Blasting Are Some of This Year's Best Mysteries

These unfinished tales still flummox historians, scientists, artists, and chefs.
December 20, 2021
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wwi

How World War I Turned Soldiers Into Tourists

A new exhibit reveals the wondrous sights service members found away from the trenches.
November 8, 2021
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archives

The Famous Fight Over the Turn-of-the-Century Trend of Spirit Photography

In one corner: Harry Houdini. And in the other: Arthur Conan Doyle.
October 29, 2021
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spycraft

The Haunted Houses Designed to Scare Spooks

These WWII-era “houses of horrors” trained American spies for combat using cardboard Nazis.
October 28, 2021
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vampires

Dracula Lives! (in Philadelphia)

The Rosenbach museum is home to Bram Stoker’s original notes on vampires and a growing collection of undead literature.
October 27, 2021
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archive

This British University Has an Archive of Ye Olde Haunted Houses

The times have changed, but the thrill remains the same.
October 21, 2021
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secret lives of museums

The Eventful Afterlife of a Crowd of 19th-Century Skulls

Philadelphia’s famed anatomy showplace, the Mütter Museum, gets a facelift.
October 18, 2021
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halloween

Explore a Century of Halloween in L.A. Through Vintage Photographs

An eerie/fun glimpse into the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.
October 8, 2021
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mechanical instruments

Inside the Year-Long Effort to Restore the Waldorf Astoria's Famed Clock

If they could turn back time.
October 7, 2021
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library

Tracing the Funky Story of D.C. Go-Go, From Parties to Protest

It's not every day that a library archive will make you want to boogie.
September 22, 2021
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jewelry

A Stunning Archive of the Work of Early Black Photographers

A new collection acquired by the Smithsonian is a window into Black history.
September 15, 2021
Gastro Obscura
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war fare

When World War II Started, the U.S. Government Fought Against Victory Gardens

Home gardeners planted despite an initial federal policy of leaving farming to the professionals.
August 5, 2020
Gastro Obscura
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epidemics

How the Influenza Pandemic Popularized Lemons

When it reached America, Sunkist marketers recommended hot lemonade.
May 28, 2020