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The Mystery of the World's Least American Cactus
By cactus standards, Rhipsalis baccifera is, for the most part, average. Sure, it has long, spindly stems that can grow up to 30 feet long, and hang down from the canopy like monstrous green...
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Nazi U-Boat Pens in La Rochelle, France
In April of 1941, laborers began building the concrete behemoths in La Rochelle's harbor. The massive pens were to hold the "Unterseeboots," one of Germany's most formidable weapons during World War...
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An Illinois Man Wants to Build the World's Deepest Swimming Pool
Illinois resident Jim Elliott has a passion: improving the lives of people with disabilities by teaching them to scuba dive. And embedded in this passion is a dream: to build the deepest warm-water...
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The Rude, Cruel, and Insulting 'Vinegar Valentines' of the Victorian Era
In the 1840s United States and U.K., hopeful American and British lovers sent lacy valentines with cursive flourishes and lofty poems by the thousands. But what to do, if you didn’t love the person who...
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World's Largest Laundromat in Berwyn, Illinois
The Chicago suburb of Berwyn is home to the largest laundromat in the world, measuring in at 13,500 square feet and featuring 301 machines. The extraordinary facility is adorned with 16 TV screens, an...
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Found: A Long-Lost Photo of Harriet Tubman
In the photo, Harriet Tubman is still relatively young, perhaps in her early or mid-forties. She would live into her 90s, and many of the photos of her show her as an older woman. In this photo, which...
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The Bizarre Case of NASA's 'Stolen' Moon Rocks
A version of this story originally appeared on Muckrock.com.Through FOIA, Motherboard’s Jason Koebler managed to receive a handful of investigatory reports from NASA regarding missing property,...
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Paranapiacaba Train Station in Santo André, Brazil
Paranapiacaba is a small municipality outside São Paulo with a distinctly British appearance. The town in 1867 was the operation headquarters and home for the employees of the English-owned São Paulo...
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Planet X Pottery in Gerlach, Nevada
In the center of the arid Nevada desert, on a stretch of road where attractions are hard to find, travelers on Nevada Highway 447 will come across a black roadside sign featuring a large, mysterious...
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The Dome of Light in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
At the intersection of Kaohsiung’s Red and Orange metro lines, the history of the universe plays out on giant dome of illuminated glass. Built by Italian artist Narcissus Quagliata, the Dome of Light...
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Site of the Knickerbocker Disaster in Washington, D.C.
In late January of 1922, a blizzard swept through the mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Over the course of three days more than two feet of snow fell over the region. Washington, D.C., was hit...
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Dozens of Sheep Mysteriously Appeared and Disappeared on the Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight, off Britain's southern coast, is known mostly as a popular destination for vacationers.And, apparently, some sheep.Police on the island reported yesterday that 60 sheep mysteriously...
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Vila Maria Zélia in São Paulo, Brazil
Vila Maria Zélia was the first model village in Brazil. Inaugurated in 1917, it was the brainchild of the industrialist Jorge Street, built to house the workers of the Companhia Nacional de Tecidos da...
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Saint Salvador's Unlucky PH in Saint Andrews, Scotland
The first thing any St Andrews student learns is to not step on the "PH" set in stone outside the busy entrance to St. Salvator's Quadrangle. A misstep could result in failing exams or, if a final year...
View ArticleFound: A Very Orange Alligator
A residential community in Hanahan, South Carolina, just outside of Charleston, has a new denizen—an alligator of an unusual orange color.Neighbors spotted the alligator and posted its picture on...
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Inside the High-Flying World of Estonian Extreme Swinging
Every kid who has ever climbed on a swing set has dreamt of swinging so hard that they loop right over the top, impressing everyone in attendance. Of course, often enough, this can lead to busted bones...
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Montezuma Castle in Camp Verde, Arizona
Thanks to Theodore Roosevelt, the United States Congress passed the Antiquities Act of 1906, giving the office of the president the power to create National Monuments. Although that ability has changed...
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A 1902 Panther Escape Becomes Political
Last Monday, a seven-year-old bobcat named Ollie snuck out of her cage at the National Zoo and began roaming the streets of Washington, D.C. She quickly gained an empathetic fan club and a Twitter...
View ArticleHawaii's 'Lava Fire Hose' Is Back at It Again
It was a sad thing to lose—a fluorescent torrent of red-hot lava pouring from the side of a rocky cliff, accompanied by billowing acid steam and leaping bits of rock. But even the greatest performers...
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United Brick Corporation Ruins in Washington, D.C.
Fenced off in the corner of Washington, D.C.'s National Arboretum you can find the dilapidated ruins of the United Brick Corporation kilns. A quiet and forgotten lot today, this brickyard used to...
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