41 Items Tagged

Mistakes

Tumalo Dam

The ruins of a failed dam that was built over land later described as a "sponge."

Ocean View, Delaware

Cecile Steele's Chicken House

The mistake that launched the commercial broiler chicken industry is immortalized in the town where it took place.

Florence, Italy

Il Fatidico Sgabello

Florence’s archaeological museum displays an ordinary stool that once shattered one of its most prized artifacts.

Most Canadians Live South of Seattle and Other Map Surprises

We're wrong about directions and locations of many countries.

Frank Jacobs December 8, 2023

Kateki: Erasmus from the De Liefde Shipwreck

This historic Erasmus statue was first mistaken for a legendary Chinese inventor, then as a child-eating hag.

Muhammad al-Idrisi made much better maps than this (we promise).

The Father of Medieval Geography Is Unfairly Blamed for One Very, Very Bad Map

He also made the most accurate world map of that time—and left out the sea monsters.

Frank Jacobs September 1, 2023

Glasgow, Scotland

Hutchesons' Hall Statues

A brother statue swap has adorned this building's facade for centuries.

The trees of the Lost Forty are in general taller than the surrounding woods.

How a Map Mistake Saved a Forest of 300-Year-Old Trees

Minnesota's "Lost Forty" survived the lumberjack's ax thanks to a improperly drawn lake.

Frank Jacobs March 31, 2023

Abbey Road DLR station northern entrance, soon after opening

London, England

The Wrong Abbey Road

Tourists who rely on a transit map to find the iconic Beatles location often end up in a far-off neighborhood.

Armstrong Tunnel

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Armstrong Tunnel

This quarter-mile tunnel under the Bluff in Pittsburgh bends at a 45-degree angle.

Podcast: Library of Mistakes

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

The Podcast Team May 26, 2021

Boljkovci, Serbia

Srpski Holywood

A Hollywood-sign replica with a typo on a remote hillside.

The volunteers were given suitcases to check in and pick up. The bags didn't always make it to carousel.

What It's Like to Stress-Test Berlin's Brand New, Much Maligned Airport

A little stressful, by design.

Andrew Curry October 30, 2020

Prison Boab Tree near Derby.

Derby, Australia

Derby Boab 'Prison Tree'

Critics argue this boab tree has been mislabeled for the sake of dark tourism, undermining its spiritual significance.

Highway.

Stockholm, Sweden

'Highway'

Locals rallied to save this beloved mural after someone mistakenly attempted to cover it.

Paska Kaupunni.

Paska Kaupunni

This misspelled graffiti reappears every time it is removed.

The Rodin portrait correctly identified by Luis Pastor.

Solved: A Case of Mistaken Identity in a Madrid Art Museum

Auguste Rodin takes his rightful place in the portrait gallery, evicting King Leopold II of Belgium.

Matthew Taub June 6, 2019

Newmarket, England

Potoooooooo

A misunderstanding gave this 18th-century racehorse a most amusing name.