matthewtaub's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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internet

The Ambitious Plan to Digitize 100,000 Historic Texts in Belgium

Two major Antwerp institutions are putting some of their voluminous holdings in the cloud.
April 7, 2020
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epidemics

Is Saint Corona a Guardian Against Epidemics?

Well, she might be now, at least.
March 31, 2020
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rock and roll

For Sale: The Wooden Stage From The Beatles' First Concert

Including its old Victorian-era nails.
March 24, 2020
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auctions

Sold: An Ornate Piano Found on a World War II Battlefield

It traveled three continents, survived desert warfare, and accidentally ended up with a man who'd been looking for it all along.
March 17, 2020
Gastro Obscura
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libraries

Found: A Greasy Leftover Snack Inside a Rare Book

Whether a cookie or a fruit bun, the "offending object" has been discarded.
March 11, 2020
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skeletons

Has the Case of the Missing Princess-Saint Been Solved?

Scientific evidence suggests that her bones had been hidden behind a church wall for a millennium.
March 11, 2020
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hoaxes

The Intrepid Mother and Son Who Unraveled a Geographic Hoax

Atlas Obscura had a page for something called Moose Boulder, until fan Roger Dickey called us on it.
April 27, 2023
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new zealand

Found: A Message in a Bottle That Went Clear Around the World and Back

But without a return address.
March 4, 2020
Gastro Obscura
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disappearing world

These Scots Still Fish Like the Vikings

But it's not clear whether future generations will keep the tradition alive.
February 11, 2020
Gastro Obscura
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siberia

Ancient Hot Pots Helped Hunters Survive the Siberian Ice Age

16,000 years later, they still contain traces of cooked meat and fish.
February 3, 2020
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massachusetts

America's First Banned Book Really Ticked Off the Plymouth Puritans

The author, known as the "Lord of Misrule," had the audacity to erect a maypole in Massachusetts.
November 1, 2019
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spirits week

The Not-So-Mysterious Missing Grave of Blues Legend Robert Johnson

The supernatural has surrounded the guitar virtuoso for decades. 
October 23, 2019
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industrial revolution

Australia's First Published Dictionary Was Dedicated to 'Convict Slang'

The "flash" language reflected the makeup of the British penal colony at the time.
October 7, 2019
Gastro Obscura
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contests

See the Winning Cakes From Melbourne's Architectural Baking Contest

The city's iconic buildings inspired some monumental desserts.
September 4, 2019
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vinyl

Found in a Record Store: Kurt Cobain's Royalty Check

He never even cashed it.
September 3, 2019
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england

Found: 2,500 Medieval Coins, and Evidence of Tax Evasion

Making heads or tails of a discovery in southwestern England.
August 28, 2019
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radio

For Sale: A Signed Copy of King Edward VIII's Abdication Speech

Fort Belvedere, where he gave up the throne, has seen both historic romance and political crisis.
August 26, 2019
Gastro Obscura
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cards

Sold: A Set of 54 Whisky Bottles, One for Every Playing Card

Only four such sets are known to exist.
August 22, 2019
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mediterranean

The Bones at India's Mysterious 'Skeleton Lake' Came From All Over

New research reveals that the hundreds of anonymous dead spanned both continents and centuries.
August 21, 2019
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chill week

When a Volcano in El Salvador Cooled Down the Entire World

It may have even helped bring on the bubonic plague.
August 19, 2019
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renaissance

Found: Hidden Sketches Underneath a da Vinci Painting

Glimpses of a master revising, changing, and editing.
August 15, 2019
Gastro Obscura
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salad

For Sale: A 1699 Treatise on the Best Ways to Make Salad

Though John Evelyn wasn't a vegetarian, he did appear to be ahead of his time.
August 12, 2019
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elvis

For Sale: Elvis Presley's Dusty Old Lincoln Limo

The King kind of had a thing for cars.
August 7, 2019
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insects

Found in a Cemetery: A New Species of Beetle

It's alive!
August 5, 2019