Don’t worry; none of Atlas Obscura’s most popular stories of 2016 had to do with the U.S. presidential election. Of course, we did write about the never-ending race, but more often than not our readers elected to visit our website for escapism and counter-programming.
You gravitated towards secret histories and linguistic mysteries, stories delving into hidden aspects of cities, the scientific world, the historical record, and the odder corners of the internet. These articles spanned the globe, from Chernobyl to Canada, the Marshall Islands to Mexico. Yet the majority of our top stories illuminated discoveries and events in the United States, where a large share of our readers live. Our most-read article of the year was set in the New York Public Library, just across the East River from the Atlas Obscura office in Brooklyn.
Here are the 25 most popular stories that we published this year.
1. Inside the New York Public Library's Last, Secret Apartments
by Sarah Laskow
There are just 13 left.
2. The Famous Photo of Chernobyl's Most Dangerous Radioactive Material Was a Selfie
by David Goldenberg
This eerie photo shows the largest agglomeration of one of the most toxic substances ever created: corium.
3. Fascinating Photos from the Secret Trash Collection in a New York Sanitation Garage
by Dylan Thuras
Garbage can be beautiful, if sorted correctly.
4. The 44 Most Wondrous Places to Visit in 2016
by Atlas Obscura
Atlas Obscura staff combed our 10,000-strong places database and came up with 44 suggestions for your expedition-planning pleasure.
5. The Married Woman Who Kept Her Lover in the Attic
by Addison Nugent
Dolly Oesterreich, her "Bat Man," and one of the strangest sex scandals ever.
6. Do Not Eat, Touch, Or Even Inhale the Air Around the Manchineel Tree
by Dan Nosowitz
Meet America's deadliest tree. Found in Florida, of course.
7. The Unsettling Mystery of the Creepiest Channel on YouTube
by Erik Shilling
An anonymous user uploaded 72,000 very brief and often silent videos to this channel.
8. The Subtle Design Features That Make Cities Feel More Hostile
by Ella Morton
Think your city doesn't like you? You're right.
9. Here Are the Real Boundaries of American Metropolises, Decided by an Algorithm
by Sarah Laskow
How is the U.S. actually split geographically?
10. Watch an Impromptu Medieval Icelandic Hymn Sung in a Modern Train Station
by Molly McBride Jacobson
The acoustics of the German transit hub perfectly suit the centuries-old song.
Yeah, but you're just a touch BIASED @TopekaKansasNws so here's our recruit...https://t.co/HyQvNAx90Ahttps://t.co/oII8lEZRen
— Westboro Baptist (@WBCSaysRepent) July 11, 2016
11. The Westboro Baptist Church Is Getting Owned in Pokémon Go
by Cara Giaimo
“We recruited Jigglypuff to deal with the sodomite Clefairy" is probably not a sentence you thought you'd read today.
12. The Enduring Mystery Of 'Jawn', Philadelphia's All-Purpose Noun
by Dan Nosowitz
According to experts, it’s unlike any word, in any language.
13. How a Champagne-Laden Steamship Ended Up in a Kansas Cornfield
by Luke Spencer
The steamboat Arabia carried 200 tons of treasure when it sank in 1856.
14. 70 Years Ago, the U.S. Military Set Off a Nuke Underwater, And It Went Very Badly
by Sarah Laskow
Then they tried it four more times.
15. Ranking the Pain of Stinging Insects, From 'Caustic' to 'Blinding'
by Lauren Young and Michelle Enemark
One passionate entomologist poetically describes and ranks over 70 species' painful stings.
16. The Macaroni in 'Yankee Doodle' is Not What You Think
by Michael Waters
Meet the stylish gender-role rebels of 1770s England.
17. The Rebel Virgins and Desert Mothers Who Have Been Written Out of Christianity's Early History
by Alex Mar
Christianity took shape with the support of female leaders and mystics and activists. But what we have left of them now are only the remembrances of a handful of men.
18. What's Going On with the Way Canadians Say 'About'?
by Dan Nosowitz
It's not pronounced how you think it is.
19. Cincinnati Built a Subway System 100 Years Ago—But Never Used It
by Kevin Williams
Cincinnati is home to the largest unused subway system in the world.
20. In 1975, a Cat Co-Authored a Physics Paper
by Eric Grundhauser
Meet F.D.C. Willard, the feline who published.
21. The Illegal Birth Control Handbook That Spread Across College Campuses in 1968
by Tao Tao Holmes
A group of Canadian teenagers wrote the first popular text on contraception.
22. Why Smart Clowns Immortalize Their Make-up Designs on Ceramic Eggs
by Ella Morton
A unique, egg-based system protects clowns' intellectual property rights.
23. The Definitive Map of America's Creepy Clown Epidemic
by Erik Shilling
Our interactive map tracks clown sightings, threats, and scares.
24. London Is Still Paying Rent to the Queen on a Property Leased in 1211
by Sarah Laskow
In a small annual ceremony the city hands over an axe, a knife, 6 horseshoes, and 61 nails.
25. The World's Longest-Running Experiment is Buried in a Secret Spot in Michigan
by Cara Giaimo
The unusual agricultural study has lasted 137 years and counting.