The Atlas Obscura Podcast

As part of Black History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including the history of this paddleboat that gave some Black children a place to learn even when they were denied formal education on land.    Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This site in Boonarga, Australia honors the cactoblastis - a humble moth that traveled across the globe, and became the hero of a continent.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cactoblastis-memorial-cairn Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The story of how famous Russian author Alexander Pushkin once faced a duel by The Black River on the outskirts of St. Petersburg features high drama, society scandals, a weird foot joke, and pistols at dusk. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

For Valentine's Day, the Atlas team would like to bring you this tale of the heart….literally. The Church of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, Poland is the final resting place of famed composer Frédéric Chopin’s heart - smuggled there by Chopin’s sister after his death.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/chopin-s-heart Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.c...

This site is “not a Library where you can borrow books” nor “a memorial with dusty relics” but still aims to honor the spirit of American author Henry Miller.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/henry-miller-memorial-library Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As part of Black History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this journey to famed Jazz musician Louis Armstrong’s House in Corona, Queens in New York.   READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/louis-armstrong-house Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal dat...

The killing of a British pig on an island off the coast of Northwestern Washington almost started a war between two of the world’s greatest military powers. 100 years later, a local artist commemorated the Pig War with a one-woman show, a troupe of mannequins, and a taxidermied pig.  Learn more about Steve Lyons’ play: https://www.lyonswrites.com/plays.html# Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz compan...

This relic of roadside attractions in Creston, South Dakota is believed to be the first of its kind in North America READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/creston-dinosaur Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Professional rainmaker Charles Hatfield was either a scientist or a con man who had a particular influence on San Diego, CA.   Curious about cloud seeding? Learn more from our earlier podcast on the Lynmouth Flood: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/podcast-lynmouth-flood-memorial-hall READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lower-otay-reservoir Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsW...

Marchand Dessalines, Haiti is a town named after Jean Jacques Dessalines one of the leaders of the Haitian Revolution and one of the country’s founding fathers. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/dessalines-revolution-battle-haiti Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

As part of Black History Month Atlas Obscura will be sharing some episodes from the archive including this story about a gigantic public square dedicated to Ghanaian independence - and producer Baudelaire Ceus’s introduction to soursop. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/black-star-square Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about o...

Rico Gagliano, host of the MUBI podcast, takes listeners to The Westgate Movie Theater in Minneapolis for a story about a movie that flopped terribly when it was released that changed the course of the theater’s history. Listen to the MUBI Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mubi-podcast/id1569229544 Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our...

Sigmund Freud’s famous psychoanalytic couch is preserved in his final office in London, England. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/freud-museum-london Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Host Dylan Thuras leads listeners on a journey that leads to the preserved middle finger of Galileo Galilei, astronomer, physicist and engineer. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/galileos-middle-finger Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This building in Tangier was one of the first pieces of land owned by the United States Government outside of the country, and was a gift from “America’s first friend.” READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tangier-american-legation-museum Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertisin...

This Ecuadorian cave has captured the attention of  government officials, scientists, and professional cavers and is home to a particularly rare creature. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS:  https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/cueva-de-los-tayos Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Rae Wynn-Grant, Ph. D. is a wildlife ecologist specializing in large carnivores. And in this episode she unfolds a mystery for listeners.  To hear more about her encounter with a lion: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/podcast/not-your-average-field-trip/ Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Empress Anna’s Ice Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia was the site of an incredibly strange wedding. Was it a cruel joke? A strategic power move? Or something else? READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/russia-anna-ioannovna-ice-palace-castle Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for adverti...

Lee's Legendary Marbles & Collectables in York, Nebraska is a pilgrimage of sorts for serious collectors and a curiosity for the casual passerby. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/lees-legendary-marbles-collectables Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This intricately carved church in Luster is one of Norway’s great treasures of architecture. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/urnes-stave-church Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The Luray Caverns in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia are home to an instrument that draws out the secret sounds of millenia-old stone. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-great-stalacpipe-organ-luray-virginia Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

The José María Azael Franco Guerrero Cemetery in Tulcán, Ecuador is a topiary anomaly and a lush green paradise for the dead. READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/tulcan-municipal-cemetery Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

This abandoned lodge in Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique has been reclaimed by local lions - a story deeply enmeshed in the larger history of the country.   READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/the-lion-house-gorongosa-mozambique Further Reading:  S is for Samora (book by Sarah Lefanu) Let My People Go (poem by Noémia de Sousa) Apartheid’s Contras: An Inquiry Into the R...

Jonathan Carey and Michelle Cassidy of the Atlas Places Team bring you stories of how sometimes giant monuments built for a specific site need to go on a journey.  READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/yakhchals https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/snowflake-bentley Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of pe...

This internationally recognized jazz lounge has been running for more than a century. Its guests have included Frank Sinatra, Charlie Chaplin and less reputable icons like Al Capone. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.