April White's User Profile - Atlas Obscura
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the year in wonder 2021

Shipwrecks, Stolen Jewels, and Skull-Blasting Are Some of This Year's Best Mysteries

These unfinished tales still flummox historians, scientists, artists, and chefs.
December 20, 2021
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wwi

How World War I Turned Soldiers Into Tourists

A new exhibit reveals the wondrous sights service members found away from the trenches.
November 8, 2021
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archives

The Famous Fight Over the Turn-of-the-Century Trend of Spirit Photography

In one corner: Harry Houdini. And in the other: Arthur Conan Doyle.
October 29, 2021
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spycraft

The Haunted Houses Designed to Scare Spooks

These WWII-era “houses of horrors” trained American spies for combat using cardboard Nazis.
October 28, 2021
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vampires

Dracula Lives! (in Philadelphia)

The Rosenbach museum is home to Bram Stoker’s original notes on vampires and a growing collection of undead literature.
October 27, 2021
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archive

This British University Has an Archive of Ye Olde Haunted Houses

The times have changed, but the thrill remains the same.
October 21, 2021
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secret lives of museums

The Eventful Afterlife of a Crowd of 19th-Century Skulls

Philadelphia’s famed anatomy showplace, the Mütter Museum, gets a facelift.
October 18, 2021
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halloween

Explore a Century of Halloween in L.A. Through Vintage Photographs

An eerie/fun glimpse into the Los Angeles Public Library Photo Collection.
October 8, 2021
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mechanical instruments

Inside the Year-Long Effort to Restore the Waldorf Astoria's Famed Clock

If they could turn back time.
October 7, 2021
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library

Tracing the Funky Story of D.C. Go-Go, From Parties to Protest

It's not every day that a library archive will make you want to boogie.
September 22, 2021
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jewelry

A Stunning Archive of the Work of Early Black Photographers

A new collection acquired by the Smithsonian is a window into Black history.
September 15, 2021
Gastro Obscura
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war fare

When World War II Started, the U.S. Government Fought Against Victory Gardens

Home gardeners planted despite an initial federal policy of leaving farming to the professionals.
August 5, 2020
Gastro Obscura
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epidemics

How the Influenza Pandemic Popularized Lemons

When it reached America, Sunkist marketers recommended hot lemonade.
May 28, 2020
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exploration

The Intrepid '20s Women Who Formed an All-Female Global Exploration Society

Excluded from the men-only Explorers Club, they established their own group for adventurers.
April 12, 2017