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The Ruthwell Cross in Dumfries, Scotland
Is this ancient stone cross, tucked in the apse of a small Scottish village church, the source of the oldest work of literature in the English language?The Ruthwell Cross is an 18-foot-tall Anglo-Saxon...
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Willard Mural in State College, Pennsylvania
Underneath a passage of one of the oldest and most frequented buildings on Penn State's main campus, a mysterious work of art awaits those with enough knowledge and free time to find it.Under the front...
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St. Vincent Court in Los Angeles, California
To visit St. Vincent Court is to feel oneself whisked from the hustle and bustle of downtown Los Angeles to the center of an old European city.The small square is named for its original owner, St....
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Hotel Angst in Bordighera, Italy
In the 19th century, the sleepy Ligurian town of Bordighera was among the most indulgent attractions for the elite traveling the Italian Riviera, and perhaps nothing better exemplifies its former...
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Offa's Dyke in England
In Offa of Mercia's reign in the 8th century CE, a great earthwork boundary was built that delineated the border between what would become England and Wales. At 176 miles long and up to 12 feet high,...
View ArticleWatch A London Double-Decker Bus Get Methodically Destroyed in 1959
Double-decker buses have been a staple of London streets ever since the first engine-powered one appeared there in 1923. But double-deckers, like all things, some day must die. Above, you can see what...
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How to Learn Geography With Your Hands
In 1830, Stephen Preston Ruggles—an engineer and craftsman, and soon to take charge of the print shop at Perkins School for the Blind, in Watertown, Massachusetts—took on an unusual project. He got a...
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Great Blue Hill in Canton, Massachusetts
At 635 feet above sea level, Great Blue Hill is the highest hill on the Atlantic Ocean south of Maine. It is the origin of the Massachusett Indian tribe's name, roughly meaning "of the great hill" in...
View ArticleFound: A Rattlesnake in a Toilet, and Then 23 More Underground
A rattlesnake in a toilet is high up on anyone's list of living nightmares, but for one family in Abilene, Texas, there was a bit more to worry about it.That's because there were 23 more snakes hiding...
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Yellow Fever Park in Norfolk, Virginia
In the Ghent neighborhood of Norfolk, Virginia, a triangular lot too small to be a real park sits at the intersection of Hampton Boulevard and Princess Anne Road. You would never guess it by walking...
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How an Antiquarian Horologist Brings Tiny Machines Back to Life
One look at a centuries-old mechanical silver swan, and Nico Cox was set on her path toward a career in tinkering with antique cogs and fixing chirping metal birds.Cox grew up collecting clocks and...
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There's a Lot of Mold Infesting the Mark Twain Museum in Connecticut
In the preface of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, the narrator describes meeting a mysterious man on a castle tour. As they walk through the hallways, his new friend begins...
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Saint Michael's Cathedral in Sitka, Alaska
Before Alaska became the 49th of the United States, it was colonized by Russia. The Russians didn't use Alaska for much, and their only outpost in the province was Sitka, used as a trading post. As it...
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Monument to Yuri Gagarin in Barskoon, Kyrgyzstan
On the south shores of lake Issyk-Kul in Barskoon, in the the northeastern corner of Kyrgyzstan, is a giant face carved directly into a massive rock. Specifically, it is the giant head of cosmonaut...
View ArticleA Bright and Loud Meteor Just Flew Across the Midwest Sky
#Meteor over Lake Michigan lights up the sky Monday morning across several states in the Midwest. https://t.co/eC4vXQkXQqpic.twitter.com/znbt532xEf— AP Central U.S. (@APCentralRegion) February 6,...
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Earthships, the Ultimate in Off-Grid Architecture
Artist Roxanne Fonder Reeve never imagined that she would find herself dumpster-diving in the industrial areas of Seattle, Washington.On drives around the city, she’ll pull over when she sees...
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What Cheer in What Cheer, Iowa
Once a thriving coal mining town of over 3,000, What Cheer, Iowa stands today at a dwindling population of 646. Largely abandoned, What Cheer’s rusting infrastructure today seems incongruous with its...
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6 Stops on the Hunt for the Holy Grail
The first of many myths involving a divine grail was written more than eight centuries ago. People have been fascinated with the potential whereabouts of the holy treasure every since, making it one of...
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Why Men Get More Lint in Their Belly Buttons Than Women
A version of this post originally appeared on Tedium, a twice-weekly newsletter that hunts for the end of the long tail.Back in 2010, Graham Barker, an Australian librarian, announced that after...
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U.S.S. Agerholm Model in Annapolis, Maryland
There are many model ships on display at the U.S. Naval Academy, but perhaps none as special as the U.S.S. Agerholm overlooking the main lobby.This 16-foot long model is a cutaway that shows the...
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