Frank Jacobs's User Profile - Atlas Obscura

Frank Jacobs

Journalist, writer, atlas enthusiast, weirdness fan, ‘Strange Maps’ columnist

https://twitter.com/VeryStrangeMaps

2023
joined atlas
obscura

countries
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published

This Annual Pipe Walk Maps a Medieval Tradition in Bristol

The St. Mary Redcliffe Pipe Walk honors a legal agreement dating back to the days of Richard the Lionheart.

September 18, 2024

Were Egyptians Really the First to Domesticate Cats? Try Cave Men

A map shows the spread of felines by Egyptians, Romans, Vikings—and prehistoric ancestors.

These U.S. Cities Have More Parking Lots Than Housing

They paved paradise again and again and again.

All Eels in America and Europe Come From the Bermuda Triangle

But no one's ever seen them there.

The Most Dangerously Populated Latitudes in the World

Impending threats may reverse everything.

You Can Still Die From World War I Dangers in France's Red Zones

The Great War never ended in some old battlegrounds.

Dig a Tunnel Through the Center of the Earth to… Where?

If you, hypothetically, ignore the molten lava core.

natural disaster

Not Even Minnesota Is Safe From Earthquakes

Was the recent New York quake really all that uncommon? Here's a state-by-state map.

Why Jesus Never Ate a Banana

About 69 percent of the global diet is "foreign," says a study that pinpoints the origin of 151 food crops.

The U.S. Thinks It’s Harder to Learn Polish or Greek Than Swahili or Malay

Here are the difficulty levels of most European languages for Americans.

Which States in America Have the Oldest and Youngest People?

Either way, everywhere in the U.S. is seeing a common trend.

territorial dispute

The U.S. Just Expanded the Size of Two Californias

It’s like another Louisiana Purchase.

The Most Remote Place on Earth Has Space Junk and a Sea Monster

Eerie things happen at Point Nemo.

alternate history

New York City and London Could Have Looked Very Different

An airport in midtown? See alternate versions of the cities based on real proposed projects.

Swiss Maps Are Full of Hidden Secrets

Find the Easter eggs—or the naked lady.

February 23, 2024

fantasy locations

For Hundreds of Years, People Thought California Was an Island

Dozens of maps show cartography's most persistent mistake.

February 16, 2024

The First Viking Woman to Sail to America Was a Legendary Traveler

Back when the Icelanders called a part of Canada the “land of grapes.”

February 9, 2024

Europe’s Most Active Volcano Is Also the World’s Only Decipoint

The many eruptions isn't the only reason Mount Etna is unique.

February 2, 2024

buried treasure

The WWII Treasure Map That Caused A Modern Day Hunt

The question remains: Where is the loot?

January 26, 2024

disappearing world

The Frenzy About the Weirdest Continent That Never Existed

Forget Atlantis, the lost land of lemurs had people in a tizzy.

January 19, 2024

hot air balloon

Flying Circuses Led to the First Aerial Maps of Earth

There was vomiting, crashes, fire, and an abandoned cat.

January 12, 2024

A Map of Which States People Want to Stay In, Move To, or Leave

The population data of locals versus new comers is more easy to see than ever.

January 5, 2024

Most States Start School Too Early in the Morning

This map shows which parts of the U.S. ignore the science.

December 29, 2023

This Prohibition-Era Map Is a Love Letter to Alcohol

See dozens of 1920s cocktails from a time when alcohol was illegal in the U.S.

December 22, 2023