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A stone wall stretches into the distance in Harpswell, Maine, one of thousands that together, by volume, are larger than the Great Wall of China, Hadrian's Wall, and the Pyramids of Giza combined.
science

Why New England's Stone Walls Are Unlike Any Others

Bigger than the Great Wall of China, Hadrian's Wall, and the Pyramids of Giza combined, the region's ubiquitous stone walls are also a unique ecological habitat.
Robert M. Thorson April 15, 2024
A 17th-century engraving depicts a star fort coming under siege.
architecture

Star Forts Are Military History, and the Base of Some Strange Conspiracy Theories

Examining why these ubiquitous, obsolete fortifications carry an air of mystery.
Colin Dickey April 15, 2024
Lebanon, Indiana's eclipse time capsule features the town's 2024 solar eclipse slogan, "Get Mooned In Boone."
festivals

The Solar Eclipse Time Capsules of Small Town America

Mementos of the sky, sealed in the ground.
Jennifer Byrne April 10, 2024
pirates

Pirate Paradise: 8 Essential Stops for Buccaneers in Florida

Discover a treasure trove of family fun where real pirates once roamed.
Syracuse, Italy

Fountain of Arethusa

According to Greek mythology, this natural spring is the home of a freshwater nymph.
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura
puzzles

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Eclipsing History

AO Puzzles April 8, 2024
Donde Mario offers an eyewatering number of empanada varieties.
restaurants

Empanadas With a Taste of Venezuelan History

At Donde Mario, empanadas often come with a lesson about the past.
Paul Dobson April 5, 2024
Luka Mozaika
Vela Luka, Croatia

Luka Mozaika

This work of art is considered the world's longest mosaic.
Frankfurt, Germany

Frankfurt Book Burning Memorial

Somber memorial to the May 10, 1933, book-burning which took place on this spot.
An 1868 image of Pikes Peak, towering over lesser mountains, by Leon Jean-Baptiste Sabatier.
history

Colorado's Pikes Peak Is an Eclipse Hot Spot (for 2045)

The Mountain West helped put American science on the map during the 1878 total solar eclipse, and it's the place to be for the next big American eclipse.
Rebecca Boyle April 3, 2024
politics

Podcast: Nevada Week: Molossia

An 11-acre micronation in the Nevada desert with its own rules and regulations.
"Allow me to address to you / With my deepest tenderness / This beautiful fish, fresh and discreet / To which I have confided my secret," says this April Fish card in French.
history

Why April Fools Day in France Involves Fish Pranks

It's a long and fishy history.
Amelia Parenteau March 31, 2024
Wellsville, Kansas

Black Jack Battlefield

Some say that the battle fought at this Kansas site in 1856 was the first unofficial battle of the American Civil War.
Nice, France

Fontaine du Soleil (The Sun Fountain)

This saucy statue once caused outrage among locals.
One of the many stands vending orange cider at the fair.
food

The Hottest Drink of the 1893 World's Fair Was an Artificial Orange 'Cider'

"You're drinking something that some guy just cobbled together out of Lake Michigan water and food dye.”
Anne Ewbank March 25, 2024
When planning for the total solar eclipse, look for safety lenses that meet an international safety standard known as ISO 12312-2.
science

How to View an Eclipse Safely

Don't be like Sir Isaac Newton, who nearly blinded himself during an eclipse.
Hessom Razavi March 25, 2024
All illustrations: John Mata for Atlas Obscura
islands

The Atlas Obscura Crossword: Beyond the Moai

AO Puzzles March 25, 2024
Herndon, Virginia

Laura Ratcliffe Hanna Family Cemetery

Across from a hotel parking lot, a Confederate spy rests under a large tombstone with her Union Veteran husband behind a copse of trees in a small, well-maintained cemetery.