• The Blue Whale of Catoosa (Classic)
    Nov 22 2024

    Catoosa, Oklahoma is the cite of a massive landlocked whale - and possibly the greatest anniversary gift ever

    READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/catoosa-whale

    Show more Show less
    14 mins
  • Bohemians, Bootleggers, and Bogus Bottles: A History of Absinthe
    Nov 21 2024

    Journalist and food writer Evan Rail considers himself a beer guy, but when a mysterious bright green spirit started shaking up the scene in the Czech Republic (where he lives) in the 1990s, he knew he had to learn more.

    His latest book “The Absinthe Forger: A True Story of Deception, Betrayal, and The World’s Most Dangerous Spirit” looks back at the history of absinthe, why it was banned across Europe almost 100 years ago, and how its return to the market has inspired collectors, connoisseurs…and even conmen.

    Show more Show less
    21 mins
  • The Integratron
    Nov 20 2024

    In August 1953, airstrip operator George van Tassel claimed he was woken up in the middle of the night by an intelligent lifeform from outer space named Solganda. George says Solganda told him to build an energy rejuvenation machine – so that’s exactly what he spent the rest of his life doing…

    For more information on visiting the Integratron check out their website. Plus, take a look at some photos from one of George van Tassel’s UFO conventions.

    If you want to learn more, George tells his version of the “encounter with Solganda” in a 1964 interview.

    Show more Show less
    17 mins
  • St. Paul Island vs. the Rat
    Nov 19 2024

    On a remote island 200 miles off the coast of Alaska, a community hunts for a single, elusive rat.

    Read Daniel Wu’s original reporting on the rat strike team.

    Thanks to Freesound user mmiron for the wave sounds in this episode.

    Show more Show less
    13 mins
  • The Internet, IRL
    Nov 18 2024

    Places editors Michelle Cassidy and Diana Hubbell tell us about two real-world places that have been shaped by the internet.

    Show more Show less
    15 mins
  • We want your stories of places you're grateful for!
    Nov 16 2024

    Blame it on this time of year, but we've been ruminating a lot on the places we're thankful for. And we want to hear your thoughts for a future episode. What's a place that played a pivotal role in shaping your life? It can be a place you grew up, or a place you live in now. Maybe it's a park bench, or another place of community. Tell us about it, any stories behind it, and when and why you go there. Give us a call at 315-992-7902 and leave a message telling us your name and story. Just so you know, our mailbox will cut you off after two minutes so please call in again if you get disconnected. Or you can also record a voice memo and email it to us at Hello@AtlasObscura.com

    Show more Show less
    2 mins
  • The Wren’s Nest (Classic)
    Nov 15 2024

    The Wren’s Nest in Atlanta is both a museum and former home of journalist Joel Chandler Harris and a hub for modern storytellers.

    Show more Show less
    14 mins
  • Nate DiMeo’s Personal Memory Palace
    Nov 14 2024

    Nate DiMeo, host and creator of The Memory Palace podcast, walks us through some of the rooms in his own personal memory palace. We visit his grandfather’s old nightclub outside Providence, a beloved family home, the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Visible Storage Unit, and a one-of-a-kind collection of glass flowers at Harvard University.

    Preorder a copy of Nate’s new book, The Memory Palace: True Short Stories of the Past.


    Check out the Memory Palace podcast, and listen to the episodes Nate made while he was Artist-in-Residence at the Met.

    Show more Show less
    21 mins