Sarah Durn's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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she was there

The Women Who Overcame Insults and Even Death to Become Athletes

From bow-wielding Amazons to the trash-talking, 18th-century “Mother of Boxing.”
February 16, 2024
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scary stories

The Year in Movies, TV, and Gremlins

Exploring Patricia Arquette's desert obsession, how Elvira became the queen of late night horror, and other behind-the-screen stories.
December 26, 2023
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unusual ornaments

Unusual Christmas Ornaments Make the Holidays Weird and Wonderful

From a homemade Harry Potter garden gnome to a vintage scary clown ornament, readers share their favorites.
December 5, 2023
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bug

Kids Gifts For the Young and Young at Heart

A giving guide from the Atlas Obscura team.
November 28, 2023
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rugby

Passing on the Olympics to Go to Space

Rugby and exploring the cosmos have more in common than you might think.
November 21, 2023
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ballet

How Dance Became a Genre-Defying Musician’s Deep Obsession

I find myself increasingly drawn to the abstract, and nothing inspires me more than dance.
November 7, 2023
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witch burnings

Isobel Gowdie and the Untold History of the Scottish Witch Trials

Some experts estimate as many as 3,000 people were accused and executed for witchcraft in Scotland.
October 31, 2023
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albums

The Best Halloween Songs To Usher in the Spooky Season

From The Exorcist's "Tubular Bells" to a murder ballad by Tom Waits.
October 17, 2023
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watches

For Pop Duo Aly & AJ, Vintage Watches Tell Stories and Keep the Past Alive

And wearing them onstage adds another tale to each timepiece.
September 19, 2023
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from our readers

6 Bonkers Travel Stories From Our Readers

From encountering a manhunt for escaped criminals to visiting a ‘time machine’ in Southern California.
August 18, 2023
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book recommendations

The 8 Best Astronomy Books For Beginners

From Mary Roach’s hilarious look at space travel to astronaut Scott Kelly’s photos documenting a year off planet.
August 10, 2023
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science museums

The Bizarre True Story of Central Park’s Doomed Victorian Dinosaur Museum

For centuries, the infamous Boss Tweed was blamed for destroying its dino-models—but what really happened is even weirder.
August 3, 2023
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sea lions

9 Incredible Wild Animal Encounters From Our Readers

From playing tag with sea lions to holding hands with an orangutan.
July 18, 2023
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atlas obscura road trip

The 7 Best Travel Books for Summer Road Trips

From David Grann’s trek into the Amazon rainforest to explorer Craig Child’s tour through Ice Age America.
July 13, 2023
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northern lights

9 Summer Night Sky Stories From Our Readers to Warm the Heart

From seeing the northern lights aboard a Navy ship in Norway to braving the cold for a glimpse of a blood moon.
June 28, 2023
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universe

How the Britpop Legends Blur Almost Launched the U.K. Space Program

What started as a late-night chat transformed into millions of dollars of funding for a Mars lander.
June 22, 2023
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recommendations

7 Books to Inspire Your Next Nature Adventure

From a hilarious dive into animal lawbreakers to a harrowing true crime tale in the Shenandoah Valley.
June 13, 2023
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adventure

11 Hyper-Local, Unique Summer Activities From Around the World

From trying a pawpaw fruit to attending Minnesota’s gopher count.
June 2, 2023
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grand canyon

The Historic Grand Canyon Adventure Two Women Had For Science

Botanists Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter braved rapids and steep cliffs to catalog numerous plant species.
May 29, 2023
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scary spring stories

Spring Is for Monsters, Ancient Rituals, and Scary Stories

From haunting tales of the Bell Witch to child-eating swamp monsters, the season is full of frights.
May 8, 2023
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scary spring stories

Welcome to the Dark Side of Spring

The sun is out and the monsters are here.
May 1, 2023
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aboriginal australians

The Child-Eating Bunyip Haunts Australia’s Wetlands

But its complex Aboriginal Australian origins have today been commodified and suppressed.
May 1, 2023
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poland

Marie Curie As You’ve Never Met Her Before

The world’s first two-time Nobel Laureate was a nerd’s nerd who broke the law for knowledge.
April 20, 2023
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superbloom

Stunning Wildflower Superbloom Photos That Will Have You Racing to the Hills

Orange, yellow, and purple petals blanket the southwestern United States.
April 14, 2023