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Sanspareil Rock Garden in Wonsees, Germany
You could call Sanspareil, in the Bavarian town of Bayreuth, a fan fiction rock garden. Commissioned in the mid-18th century by Margravine Wilhelmine, sister of Frederick the Great, it tells a 17th...
View ArticleA Guide to Memorials and Vigils for the Orlando Massacre
The Orlando Eye ferris wheel, lit to honor the victims of the mass shooting in Florida https://t.co/WEBXtABqoRpic.twitter.com/LIVOgsTpiQ— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 13, 2016The worst mass...
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Fairmont San Francisco Penthouse Suite in San Francisco, California
This 6,000-square-foot penthouse suite in downtown San Francisco's Fairmont Hotel — which costs a whopping $18,000 a night — has been the temporary home for countless celebrities, including Prince...
View ArticleWatch this Stunning Timelapse of a Double Rainbow Forming
This time-lapse video of a rainbow forming over the island of O'ahu in Hawaii expertly captures one of Mother Nature’s most uplifting feats. In a true display of companionship, the first rainbow is...
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Painted Churches of Texas in High Hill, Texas
Looking at it from the outside, St. Mary's Catholic Church seems like any other century-old small town church. But if you take a step inside, you'll realize that it's starkly different. St. Mary's is...
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Lilacia Park in Lombard, Illinois
Imagine a place where trees overflow with flowers, and breezes carry with them a sweet, delicate scent. Such a place exists on Chicago’s outskirts in Lombard, Illinois — and it all started with two...
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Exploring the Painted Mansions of the Rajasthani Desert
A double haveli in Nawalgarh, Shekhawati. (All photos: Eloise Stark)Shekhawati is a slow-paced region in the Indian state of Rajasthan. To reach it you have to drive several hours through the Thar...
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India's Trying to Predict Monsoons with a $60 Million Supercomputer
Monsoon clouds in Aralvaimozhy in southern India. (Photo: w:user:PlaneMad/GNU)The yearly monsoon in India is currently advancing up the massive subcontinent, bringing with it the essential rains that...
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National Parks in South Africa May Ban Wildlife Apps
A giraffe surprises some tourists at South Africa's Kruger National Park. (Photo: Nithin bolar k/CC BY-SA 3.0)These days, some national park visitors spot more wildlife with their phones than with...
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The Weird Logic Behind Yard Signs in Politics
Political signs in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo: Tim Evanson/CC BY-SA 2.0)A version of this post originally appeared on Tedium, a twice-weekly newsletter that hunts for the end of the long tail. In this age...
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How Massachusetts Came to Have Its Own Bermuda Triangle
The Hockomock swamp, or "place where spirits dwell" was the final holdout for the Wampanoags during King Philip's War. . (Photo: Jake Robertson)The spot isn't easy to find. It's only by crabwalking...
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The Monty Python Foot in London, England
Hanging in Room 8 of London's National Gallery is another painting of Cupid and Venus, made for yet another King of France. But this time, a pop culture icon is hidden inside.The painting is Bronzino's...
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In the Early 1940s, the Red Cross Banned Black Blood Donors
Members of World War II's 33nd Fighter Group attend a briefing in Ramitelli, Italy. (Photo: Toni Frissell/Library of Congress/LC-DIG-ppmsca-13245)Over the past few days, as the country reels in the...
View ArticleIan McKellen Spotted at Shanghai's Marriage Market
Gandalf at the marriage market in Shanghai. Where in China is Gandalf could be fun game pic.twitter.com/TP2JlficYU— Damien Ma (@damienics) June 11, 2016Dammit, Gandalf. In the midst of his quest to...
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The Secret Messages Hiding Inside 17th Century Engagement Rings
A gimmel ring at the British Museum. (Photo: Geni/GFDL CC-BY-SA)When shopping for an engagement ring, the standard advice is to consider the four C’s: cut, color, clarity, and carat. In 17th-century...
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Found: One of Toronto’s Two Giant, Fugitive Rodents
Capybara does its thing. (Photo: Charlesjsharp/CC BY-SA 4.0)Have you ever seen a capybara? In some photos, they look cute enough...Capybara, kind of cute? (Photo: Karoly Lorentey/CC BY 2.0)But let us...
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Russia’s Centuries-Old Bride-Shows Were the Original Version of ‘The Bachelor'
Tsar Alexis of Russia chooses his bride, c. 1882. (Photo: Public Domain)For the past 14 years, millions of hopeful romantics and cynical snarks have watched matchmaking TV show The Bachelor and its...
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Happy 48th Anniversary, Here's A Microscope!
Or you could always get your wife a dead chicken. (Image: Gabriël Metsu/Public Domain)This past December, Ellen Degeneres asked comedian Andy Samberg how he and his wife, harpist Joanna Newsom,...
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Thagaard's Plantation in Thisted, Denmark
In the 18th and the 19th centuries, the northwestern Jutland district of Thy was experiencing desertification, with driving North Sea winds blowing migrating dunes ever further inland, covering...
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Toronto Neighbourhood Watch Signs in Toronto, Canada
Here’s a good game: Who would be better at a Neighborhood Watch? Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Mr. Rodgers? The Incredible Hulk or Yoda? Captain Kirk or Mighty Mouse?Maybe artist Adam Lamb couldn’t...
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