andywright's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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dolls

The Story Behind the World's Most Terrifying Haunted Doll

Robert the Doll is Key West's most cursed object.
October 25, 2021
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landfills

How a California Landfill Became a Landmark

Getting historical recognition for a dump can be a messy process.
July 27, 2018
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extra mile

Chasing Totality: A Look Into the World of Umbraphiles

One eclipse is often not enough.
August 16, 2017
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features

The Fiercely Precise World of Competitive Table-Setting

Tablescaping, as it's known, combines creativity and meticulousness.
July 26, 2017
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children's literature week

The Man Behind Herman Munster Wrote Some Puntastic Children's Books

Fred Gwynne left a wonderfully goofy literary legacy.
June 16, 2017
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unicorns

This California Tattoo Artist Sees Unicorns in Everything

They appear in gobs of lotion, beer foam, and piles of rags.
May 19, 2017
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crash site

The 1957 Rikers Island Plane Crash That Made Inmates Heroes

It was a frightening time for air travel.
May 1, 2017
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sports

Rowdy 'Mystery Hikes' to Undisclosed Locations Were All the Rage in the '30s

Tromping through strange woods in stockings and heels? Why not!
April 13, 2017
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climate change

This Century-Long Photo Project Documents Montana's Shrinking Glaciers

Repeat photography from 70 spots shows the stark differences over decades.
April 4, 2017
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aviation

How a Wild West Showman Brought Man-Lifting Kites to the British Army

In the early 20th century, military daredevils soared high.
March 29, 2017
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psychology

The Experimental Zoo Where Parrots Rollerskated and Chickens Played Baseball

It was run by a pair of psychologists under the principles of operant conditioning.
February 28, 2017
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hearts week

When Heart Transplant Patients Were Celebrities

In the 1960s, a new heart meant instant fame.
February 13, 2017
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kgb

The Russian Spy Who Convinced America to Take ESP Seriously

History's spookiest spook.
January 13, 2017
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camera obscura

Why is This Space-Age Car Slamming into a Wall of Flaming TVs?

How a photographer landed an iconic shot of the 1975 performance piece "Media Burn."
January 4, 2017
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camera obscura

The Final Christmas of 4 Catskills Villages Flooded to Create Reservoirs

You can take a shower in NYC today because the city sank a few hamlets.
December 20, 2016
Gastro Obscura
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camera obscura

Back When Your Thanksgiving Dinner Walked Hundreds of Miles to Market

The forgotten history of turkey drives.
November 23, 2016
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north korea

North Korean Officials Had No Idea What Their Hostages Were Signaling in This Photo

The story of 83 American captives and the "Digit Affair."
November 16, 2016
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in the background

How the ‘Fast and Furious’ Set Designers Made SoCal the Focus

The humans were dressed to be cars, basically.
October 25, 2016
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blimps

The 1942 Ghost Blimp That Bewildered a California Town

The remains of the missing crew were never found.
October 17, 2016
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lazarus week

The Incredibly Disturbing Historical Practice of Gibbeting

There is no end to the variety of metal torture devices of yore.
October 11, 2016
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in the background

How 'All the President's Men' Defined the Look of Journalism on Screen

As we enter the final leg of the 2016 presidential campaign, let us examine one of the iconic film portrayals of press and politics.
September 29, 2016
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camera obscura

After the Vietnam War, America Flew Planes Full of Babies Back to the U.S.

Operation Babylift had some problems, though.
September 21, 2016
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hitler

The Wildly Misunderstood Photos of Hitler in Disguise

The legend of how a make-up artist reimagined the German dictator blossomed in the internet age.
August 17, 2016
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itinerary

Escape Plan Boston: A Literary Escape

Take a bookish journey in and around Boston.
Sponsored by Zipcar